Arsenal made it three wins in a row as they comfortably beat Wimbledon 3-0 in the EFL Cup third round and the display of Nuno Tavares caught the eye of the fans.
The Gunners took the lead thanks to a penalty from Alexandre Lacazette and from then on, they never looked like they were going to be troubled. In the second half, the hosts consolidated their lead with goals from Emile Smith Rowe and Eddie Nketiah.
The one from Nketiah was spectacular as the young forward back-heeled a cross to all but confirm the win. Though Tavares did not get an assist or a goal, the youngster played a crucial role in getting the north Londoners through to the next round.
The Portuguese full-back was a constant presence in both attack and defence and helped the Emirates club to another clean sheet. Fans took to Twitter to praise the youngster and their admiration was clear to see. Here are some of the best reactions:
Nuno Tavares is a player who doesn’t seem daunted, it’s like he has played here for years and has a N5 post code. Really rate him #ARSWIM @arsenal
— HymnSheet (@AFC_HymnSheet) September 22, 2021
You won’t ever see a one man performance like this one. Ever. Tavares.
— 🎗️ AFC 🎗️ (@CPT_AFC) September 22, 2021
With what I can see from these potato quality streams (which I am grateful for lol) Tavares is tearing it up offensively
— Lanne 🇨🇩🇫🇷🇨🇦 (@LanneAFC) September 22, 2021
Nuno Tavares is gonna be world class if he has a few seasons under his belt
— BrooklynMB🥷🏾🐍 (@mb_leroi) September 23, 2021
Looking at Nuno Tavares I see the type of player Wenger of the late 90s/early 2000s could have turned into a world beater. He’s direct, brave, strong, confident & quick but still a little raw. Looks like a bargain at approximately £8m.
— Harry Symeou (@HarrySymeou) September 22, 2021
Nuno Tavares was so good tonight, freedom of the left, if we’d of found him more, we would have seen the game off earlier
— Shaun (@ShaunPaz90) September 22, 2021
Nuno Tavares was absolutely sensational today 🔥
— iasha (@iashaonline) September 22, 2021
Arsenal Fever View:
Though Tavares was brought in during the summer to be a back-up for left-back Kieran Tierney, it could prove to be an astute signing. The Portugal international fills in a position that created some trouble last season.
This was apparent during the semi-final defeat to Villarreal in the Europa League where the Gunners suffered without having someone to deputise for Tierney. Now, they have a player who is capable of doing just that and from what we have seen, is able to do it well.
Given Tierney’s unfortunate luck with injuries, having someone who can fill in is crucial. This is going to come in handy for the north Londoners this season and Tavares can also play at right-back, which is an added advantage.
Arsenal will shift their focus towards the north London derby on Sunday where they will have one of their toughest games of the season and Tavares is unlikely to start that game, but having him on the bench is sure to give manager Mikel Arteta some reassurance.
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