As Arsenal shanked shot after shot into the drink during Saturday’s 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa, Joan Jordan picked up his pitching wedge and hit a chip so deliciously delicate it would have made Tiger Woods proud.
It took Sevilla almost 70 minutes to open the scoring in a 3-0 La Liga victory over Getafe that was far more hard-fought than the scoreline suggests.
And the resurgent Champions League-chasing Andalusians were indebted, not for the first time, to the sort of inch-perfect, defence-splitting through-ball Mikel Arteta was crying out for during yet another oh-so frustrating defeat for a Gunners side that continues to shoot itself in the foot.
Getafe had parked a double-decker coach in front of the Sevilla goal after losing star centre-back Djene Dakonam to a red card minutes into the second half.
But Jose Bordalas’ side had no answer to Jordan’s moment of match-changing genius.
There appeared to be no immediate danger when the former Eibar playmaker picked up the ball about 35 yards from goal.
Seconds later, Munir was wheeling away in celebration, tapping home from close range after Jordan’s beautifully flighted pass sliced open Getafe’s tightly packed defence and made the first goal a formality.
That was Jordan’s sixth assist of the season, his best tally as a Sevilla player – not bad for a player who came in criticism during the festive period because of a rare dip in form.
How Arsenal could have done with a man of his lock-picking talents at the weekend as Nicolas Pepe, Bukayo Saka and co failed to break through Aston Villa’s heavy-duty defences.
With Martin Odegaard and Dani Ceballos heading back to Madrid at the end of the season, it feels as though Arsenal’s lack of cutting edge – a problem that has plagued them all season – appears to be an issue with no long-term solution.
In December, The Sun reported the embattled Arteta had identified Jordan as the £32 million answer. On Saturday’s evidence, he could be exactly what Arsenal need.
Here’s what some fans had to say about Joan Jordan’s performance on Twitter:
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