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Arsenal star Bukayo Saka has lauded teammate Rob Holding for his stellar showing in the team's 4-1 Premier League thrashing of Crystal Palace at the Emirates on Sunday (March 19). Holding was handed a rare start due to first-choice centre-back William Saliba's injury.
The Englishman put in a dominant display, keeping the likes of Wilfried Zaha and Odsonne Edouard in check as Mikel Arteta's side clinched a key win. With the victory, they went eight points clear of second-placed Manchester City in the standings. City, though, have a game in hand.
After the game, Saka, who scored twice and assisted once in the rout, was full of praise for Holding. He told Arsenal's media team (as quoted by the Mirror):
"I gave him a big hug when he came into the changing room because he deserves it. He was magnificent. We need that, you know, when he's coming in to stay at the level that we've been playing. He was unbelievable today, so credit to him."
Rob Holding ended the game with five clearances, two tackles and a block, and won seven of his ten aerial duels and 11 of 15 overall. He also completed 91% of his passes and all five of his long-ball attempts.
The game against Palace was his first start and only his eighth appearance of the ongoing Premier League season. Before that, Holding had accumulated just 13 minutes of action in seven league games, often coming on late to help Arsenal hold onto slender leads.
Arsenal enter international break on six-game winning streak in league
Arsenal's final game before this month's international break could not have gone much better.
Gabriel Martinelli put them ahead against Crystal Palace after 28 minutes before Bukayo Saka added a second 15 minutes later. Granit Xhaka scored in the 55th minute to make it 3-0 for the Gunners. While the Eagles pulled one back through Jeffrey Schlupp eight minutes later, Saka's 74th-minute strike put the game to bed.
The win was the Gunners' sixth in succession in the Premier League, a run that began with a 4-2 comeback win over Aston Villa on February 18. They have recorded an aggregate score of 19-5 in this sequence, keeping three clean sheets.
Arsenal will return to action after the international break with a league clash against Leeds United at home on April 1.
