Ally McCoist baffled by what 22-year-old Arsenal star did in first-half vs Porto

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Ally McCoist accused William Saliba of being careless during the first-half between Arsenal and Porto at the Emirates, with the Frenchman’s poor header presenting the visitors with an opportunity to get a shot away.

Arsenal may have been a little surprised by how Porto took the game to the Gunners during the early stages of the second-leg. Certainly, Sergio Conceicao’s men seemed to settle into the game much quicker.

And Evanilson was one of those to have an attempt in the opening 20 minutes, putting his strike from outside the penalty area just wide.

Ally McCoist criticises Arsenal defender William Saliba in first-half after careless header

The opportunity came about because William Saliba decided to head a hopeful ball from the Porto defence back into the action. The Frenchman was under no pressure at all. But his header suggested that he felt that he had to do something with the ball. Unfortunately, that decision created a nervy moment for the Premier League leaders.

And speaking on TNT Sports (broadcast on 12/3; 20:16), Ally McCoist insisted that the centre-back should have done so much better.

“It’s careless. Why is he heading that? Why is Saliba heading that? It’s all about the communication, the goalkeeper, your other centre-back, Gabriel must be talking to you. Just take it down and pass it back to the goalkeeper and start again. You’re heading it into a dangerous area. Evanilson’s on to it in a flash,” he said.

Frenchman needed help from his teammates

It is so uncharacteristic for Saliba to make any kind of mistake, particularly this season. Him and Gabriel Magalhaes have been absolutely exceptional, with Arsenal only conceding four goals in their last eight league games.

It would be interesting to know whether he did get a shout. It almost seems unimaginable that no-one would have tried to let him know that he had plenty of time.

But then, Arsenal are probably so confident in Saliba’s abilities that they may have indeed felt that there was no need to offer any advice in that moment.