"I wasn't familiar with your game" - Arsenal fans feel they would've won the league if 'outstanding' player came into the team earlier

Arsenal fans have lavished praise on young centre-back Jakub Kiwior after their team's 2-0 Premier League win against Newcastle United earlier today (May 7).

The 23-year-old was signed for a fee of around £21 million from Spezia in January and has since made just four league appearances. He was named in the starting XI to take on the Magpies along with Gabriel Magalhaes at the heart of their defense.

Rob Holding, who has failed to impress in recent weeks, was an unused substitute while Takehiro Tomiyasu and William Saliba were obvious absentees due to injury. Kiwior did not let Mikel Arteta down.

The Poland international ended the game with six clearances and two recoveries, won both the tackles he attempted and lost just two out of his six duels. He was a solid presence at the back, holding his own against an impressive Newcastle attack at St. James' Park.

After the game, some fans opined that Arsenal would have led Manchester City in the league table had Kiwior started more often. One said:

Kiwior was equally impressive in his team's 3-1 league win against Chelsea at the Emirates on May 2. He will hope his performances have impressed Mikel Arteta enough to warrant more starts.

The win has taken Arsenal to 81 points from 35 games. Manchester City lead them by a solitary point and still have a game in hand.

Martin Odegaard buzzing with Arsenal's win against Newcastle United

Nearly one year ago, Newcastle United beat Arsenal 2-0 in the league at St. James' Park. It eventually led to the Gunners missing out on UEFA Champions League football this season.

Fast forward to today, both teams are destined to finish in the top four, with the Gunners still active in the title race. Martin Odegaard, 24, was proud of the club's performance against an in-form Newcastle side who are third in the table.

After the game, the Norway international praised the young Gunners side and told Sky Sports, via BBC:

Odegaard started the scoring against the Magpies in the 14th minute before Fabian Schar's own goal 19 minutes from time sealed the result.

About the author

Aniket is a senior editor for Tennis, Golf, Motorsport, and Olympics at Sportskeeda, having 4 years of previous experience. He is also a European and International football writer at SK, with over 2,600 articles under his belt. He started following football in 2004 after watching the Champions League semi-final between Liverpool and Juventus, and has been a Reds fan ever since.

You cannot convince him that Virgil van Dijk isn't the best defender to grace the beautiful game. Liverpool’s comeback against Borussia Dortmund in the Europa League quarter-finals in 2016 left a lasting impact on Aniket since it inspired him to get through a tough phase at the time.

An expert researcher with an OCD-like eye for perfection, Aniket follows matches closely to add interesting facts and statistics to his articles. He double-checks all information, uses only established publications as sources, and always maintains an unbiased tone in his articles.

When not writing, he enjoys playing FIFA and Forza on his Xbox. He also listens to hip-hop, classical rock, and electronic music, and enjoys watching Rick and Morty, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and Family Guy.

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