Kevin Campbell gives verdict on Rob Holding display in Arsenal win

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Rob Holding had an absolutely fantastic game as Arsenal won their latest Premier League clash to move eight points clear again at the top of the table.

That is the view of Kevin Campbell, who was speaking to the Highbury Squad podcast after the Gunners won 4-1 at the Emirates.

There was real pressure on Rob Holding going into the clash with Leeds. William Saliba has been one of the best defenders in the Premier League this season. And obviously, he is a real fan favourite.

With Saliba missing out, Mikel Arteta promoted Holding to the starting lineup.

Arsenal’s back line will be disappointed that they did not keep a clean sheet, with Rasmus Kristensen scoring late on for the visitors. But the home side did superbly.

Campbell praises Rob Holding after Arsenal win

Aaron Ramsdale made a number of early saves. Meanwhile, Gabriel Magalhaes was excellent once again. But Campbell has been keen to praise Holding.

He suggested that he deserves real credit for going about his business with minimal fuss. And he gave the 27-year-old a very high rating in the wake of the emphatic victory.

“The much-maligned man at the back who everyone was worried about, Rob Holding, who I thought had an absolutely fantastic game,” he told Highbury Squad. “Do you know why he had a fantastic game? Because we hardly ever heard his name, other than he headed it, he won the ball, he passed it. That was it. Nothing controversial.

“Going into the game, [there was] a lot of pressure on his shoulders in a must-win game, I give Rob Holding an eight.”

Remarkably, it was only Holding’s second start of the Premier League season. That says everything about how reliable both Saliba and Gabriel have been, both fitness-wise and with their performance levels.

It cannot have been easy for Holding. He can few complaints about not featuring more often, in the top-flight. But it must still be frustrating at times to play so little. A couple of years ago, the £2 million man started 28 times in the Premier League.

He is probably going to be out of the side as soon as Saliba is back fit again.

But he has definitely shown that he can be relied upon if he is needed in these crucial games.