Saliba sends message to Lokonga after FA Cup display last night

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta gave a number of his fringe players some valuable minutes yesterday.

Albert Sambi Lokonga played in the FA Cup for the second time in his career, and got his first win in the competition under his belt last night.

It was a poor first half, with both sides failing to create any meaningful chances.

Arsenal turned it on in the second-half, scoring through Mohamed Elneny and Eddie Nketiah.

Lokonga was replaced just before Elneny opened the scoring by Granit Xhaka.

It was the first hour of football Lokonga had played since Arsenal’s elimination from the Carabao Cup in November.

A stalwart of the Gunners’ Europa League campaign, Lokonga’s minutes have dried up in the league.

He’s not played since coming on as a substitute against Tottenham at the beginning of October.

In that time, Lokonga has been an unused substitute on eight separate occasions.

Lokonga makes FA Cup appearance

The Belgian midfielder took to Instagram after the match, saying, ‘Humble enough to recognize what I got, hungry enough to know what I can achieve’.

Defender William Saliba replied, saluting Lokonga’s performance yesterday.

He also impressed the likes of Nuno Tavares and Yannick Bolasie with his shift in midfield.

There was certainly some rustiness in Lokonga’s performance last night.

After the game, Kevin Campbell said he ‘didn’t look good enough’ to break into the Arsenal first team.

Arsenal’s league side is incredibly settled, and Lokonga is unlikely to break into it unless there’s a serious injury crisis.

Elneny is much more likely to deputise for Thomas Partey, while Fabio Vieira could fill in for Granit Xhaka.

Lokonga’s appearances this season are likely to be limited to the FA Cup and Europa League.

If Arsenal reach the latter stages of either competition, he may even lose his spot to a more experience teammate.