Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Chelsea was far from a vintage performance at the Emirates Stadium, unless you were watching from George Graham’s perspective who was at the game.
Arsenal famously enjoyed a one-nil win in the Graham era, and Mikel Arteta certainly won’t be offended if his side are sometimes seen in a similar light.
It was a gritty performance and Arsenal found a way to win via Mikel Merino’s header from a first half corner, even if they did have better chances in open play.
Of course, Arteta’s side gave themselves the platform to win three points via a single moment owing to their excellent defending at the back.
A poor VAR call might have cost Arsenal were they not so resolute in their defending, but a clean sheet ultimately saw the Gunners through.
Jurrien Timber was Arsenal’s unsung hero against Chelsea
That being said, the likes of Merino and Gabriel Martinelli will likely take the headlines from the win over Chelsea – two excellent performers.
But it was Jurrien Timber who was Arsenal’s unsung hero – the Dutchman delivered an all-action performance on the right, another example of how important he’s become.
Timber was winning his duels at the back and constantly causing Marc Cucurella problems, his opposing full-back.
Martinelli and Timber were a formidable duo on the right, and Arsenal’s play on that side in the first 45 minutes in particular should have arguably been enough to win the game.
And on Timber’s part, he delivered an outstanding contribution to Arsenal’s win, one that Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola would have loved.
Pep Guardiola will agree that Jurrien Timber is the perfect modern defender
Speaking after City won the Premier League back in 2023, Guardiola seemed to signal a change of era for his full-backs, he no longer wanted inverted options, rather he was enjoying ‘proper’ defenders who could win their duels.
And fortunately for Arteta, he’s stumbled across a defender in Timber who can do both – he’s excellent at the back and able to step into midfield without harming Arsenal defensively.
Speaking after City’s title celebrations that day, Guardiola said: “So I learned this season when you play against Saka, Vinicius, these type of wingers, Martinelli or Salah or Mane in the past, you need proper, proper defenders to win duels one against one.
“Otherwise in this competition, Champions League or that level they need one action to beat you, and Nathan gave us that boost that we didn’t have in the past.
“I think the biggest step this year in the back four was a real, real proper defenders – win your duel, in our box I win my duel.”
Of course, the same compliments could also be aimed in Myles Lewis-Skelly’s direction who was just as impressive on the left.
Two excellent full-backs, but ones who haven’t stopped Arsenal purusing another defender in the summer.
