Martin Keown praises Arsenal star Granit Xhaka for performance against Chelsea

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Martin Keown praised Arsenal star Granit Xhaka following his performance on Tuesday night in the away draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

The Gunners twice came from behind to rescue a 2-2 draw in the Premier League and it was even more impressive considering they had to do it with only 10 men on the pitch.

David Luiz was sent off against his former club in the 26th minute for his foul in the box and Jorginho put Chelsea ahead from the spot.

But a mesmerising solo run from Gabriel Martinelli just after the hour mark levelled it up, as he dribbled more than half the pitch on the counter before calmly slotting in his 10th goal of the season across all competitions.

Captain Cesar Azpilicueta restored Chelsea’s lead once again, but Arsenal skipper Hector Bellerin responded with a left-footed effort from outside of the box.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta had to work under pressure following Luiz’s red card and he decided to drop Xhaka back into defence from his usual midfield role.

The 27-year-old showed immense versatility by dropping into an unfamiliar role and he looked fairly solid at the back.

Keown singles out the Switzerland international for his efforts in midweek and was majorly impressed.

“Xhaka when he goes to central defence it’s as good as I’ve seen him play,” Keown told BT Sport 1 (10:10pm, 221 January).

TBR’s View:

Xhaka appears to have completed a U-turn on an Arsenal career that at one stage looked over and the arrival of Arteta as manager has breathed new life into him.

The central midfielder has been with the North London club since 2016 and often been criticised for inconsistent spells of form.

But he’s looked on top of his game lately in the centre of the park by helping to dictate the ball and break up play, while the way he stepped into defence for over an hour away to Chelsea highlighted the kind of confidence he’s playing with right now.

It’s a slight exaggeration to say it was his best ever display in an Arsenal shirt, but the signs are definitely promising for him.