Arsenal slumped to their second Premier League defeat of the season as they lost 2-0 to London rivals Chelsea and one of the only bright spots of the game was the performance of substitute Nuno Tavares.
The Gunners started the game with a plan, but it came undone once Romelu Lukaku put the Blues in the lead. The home defence was unable to deal with the physicality of the striker and ended up leaving gaps in other areas of the pitch.
The misery was compounded when Reece James doubled Chelsea’s lead after which the north Londoners never looked like they would get back into the game. There were further problems as left-back Kieran Tierney had to be taken off due to an injury.
This prompted the arrival of Tavares who put up a strong show with his attacking and defensive capabilities. As one of the better players during the game, the Gunners fans took to Twitter to praise him. Here are some of the best reactions:
I think Nuno Tavares did well when he came on.. We can start managing Tierney very well now and not feel out of place.. Thats £8m well spend on a very young left back with a lot of potential.. He’s now in line to start on Wednesday against West Brom in the Carabao Cup.. #afc pic.twitter.com/X1PLX2QW6H
— A Fan With a Gun (@afanwithagun) August 22, 2021
Been impressed with Lokonga and Tavares great recruitments as squad players with the potential to improve. Unfortunately elsewhere we lack the depth to compete and could be in for a long season @Arsenal #AFC
— Jacob Finch (@JacobFinch123) August 22, 2021
Positives from today Lokonga. Tavares, Smith Rowe were all fantastic. Lots of bright spots with them
— Joshua Hoffmann (@afc_galaxy) August 22, 2021
Anybody else actually think tavares looked good when he came on, well at least looked like he was trying to make something happen? #afc
— namecannotbeblank (@Emmetbrogan16) August 22, 2021
Tavares is much better than kolasinac
— Raja@Afc (@king05072) August 22, 2021
Nuno Tavares looks promising 👍🏼
— Joshua Smith AFC🔴⚪️ (@smithyboy2015) August 22, 2021
Nuno Tavares is quite a good buy#ARSvCHE
— Mazi Ndi Abuja 🌈 (@Mazi_Nwelekwe) August 22, 2021
Arsenal Fever View
It was important that the north Londoners brought in a backup for Tierney this summer as they struggled without one last season. With Sead Kolasinac not in the plans of Mikel Arteta since January, another option was needed.
We need to appreciate the club for bringing in Tavares who has looked solid every time he has been on the pitch. Last week, he was impressive despite playing as a right-back. The versatility the young full-back offers is another reason why this signing should be applauded.
With an EFL Cup match coming up on Wednesday, the Portuguese defender should get another chance to play as Arteta looks to rotate the squad. It will be an opportunity for the youngster to impress from the start.
Things are not looking good at the moment for the Emirates club who face the prospect of losing their first three games of the new league season. But no matter what, Arsenal have to be given a pat on the back for bringing in Albert Lokonga and Nuno Tavares. These two add crucial depth to the team and look to be serious talents for the future.
Read More: Arsenal in talks with Fenerbahce to sell Sead Kolasinac
