Nuno Tavares made his first Premier League start since joining Arsenal as Mikel Arteta’s side beat Aston Villa 3-1 on Friday night, and delighted some fans reacting on social media.
Arteta awarded Tavares his first top-flight start at the Emirates Stadium with Kieran Tierney missing due to an injury. The Scotland full-back developed a bruised left ankle and missed his first league fixture of the term so far.
Tierney was the last remaining Arsenal star to open all Premier League fixtures this season after facing Crystal Palace. While goalscorer on Friday, Emile Smith Rowe, has overtaken the 24-year-old for the most minutes played so far this term.
But Tavares ensured Arsenal were no weaker at left-back with Tierney on the sidelines against Aston Villa. Arteta had only awarded his £7m summer signing from Benfica 47-minutes of league action before facing Dean Smith’s Villans.
Each of Tavares’ prior Premier League outings had also come from the bench against Brentford, Chelsea, Burnley and Tottenham. The 21-year-old additionally played the full 90-minutes during each of the north Londoners’ EFL Cup ties with West Brom and Wimbledon.
Arsenal fans praise Tavares display vs Aston Villa
Yet despite his limited appearances heading into Friday’s meeting with Aston Villa, Tavares delighted some Arsenal fans reacting online. That’s because the Portuguese showed strong attacking and defensive potential to limit Matty Cash on the Villans’ right-hand side.
The £27k-a-week left-back also created a raft of chances for himself and teammates as Arteta’s side took control early on. While, defensively, Tavares was additionally rarely caught out at winning the ball and refusing to be beaten on the ground.
So, here are some of the posts Arsenal fans shared on Tavares’ display against Aston Villa…
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