97 touches, 2 key passes, 12 long balls – £38k-a-week Arsenal gem is a real unsung hero for Arteta

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Arsenal continued on their rich vein of form by beating PSV Eindhoven 1-0 in the Europa League.

Mikel Arteta’s charges reached the knockout stages of the competition with two games to spare.

In addition, Arsenal have now won their last eight in a row, and have 10 wins from 11 this season.

Granit Xhaka got the winner in the 70th minute for the Gunners at the Emirates Stadium.

Substitute Martin Odegaard played a key role, playing the ball to the overlapping Takehiro Tomiyasu.

The defender found the unmarked Xhaka 15 yards out, who struck first time to beat keeper Walter Benitez.

Plenty of Arsenal players impressed on the night, and Rob Holding deserves particular praise for his display.

The Gunners paid just £2million for him back in 2016, and he continues to be a worthy back-up for Arteta.

With so much competition in front of Holding, he’s unlikely to get an extended Premier League starting run anytime soon.

Nonetheless, this doesn’t faze him – he just gets on with it, trains hard, and when called upon, delivers solid displays.

Against PSV, Holding looked confident and regularly got the better of Guus Til.

The £38,000-a-week ace’s passing was good too.

He found Eddie Nketiah with a superb diagonal which nearly led to a goal.

As per Whoscored, Holding took 97 touches of the ball and passed 91 times, with an 86.8 percent accuracy.

The 27-year-old also delivered 2 key passes and played 12 long balls, nine of which found their target.

On the defensive front, Holding clocked up one interception and one clearance.

Strength in depth is crucial for any team seeking glory, and in Holding, Arteta has a real unsung hero.