Forget David Raya, Arsenal’s 27-year-old unsung hero showed his class vs Sporting Lisbon

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Arsenal produced the perfect away performance in Europe to see off Sporting Lisbon 1-0 and take a precious lead into the second leg.

The Gunners needed to ride their luck at times and also relied on David Raya to make some big saves to keep things level as things remained tense in Lisbon.

In the end, though, it was a typical Arsenal result for this season as they got over the line when it mattered.

However, while it was Raya who will take the plaudits for his antics in goal, it was Arsenal midfielder Martin Zubimendi who showed just why he was bought.

Martin Zubimendi does exactly what Arsenal bought him for against Sporting Lisbon

Martin Zubimendi’s playing style and how he simply keeps things ticking over in the middle of the park means he can often be overlooked as the star man of the night.

But while both Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard were in good nick against Sporting, there was something about Zubimendi’s performance that displayed why the Gunners had signed him.

The Spaniard was very much his usual self in terms of keeping things simple and ticking over. But with a slightly slower pace in Europe, he was able to dictate things a lot more.

Zubimendi also allowed Arsenal to keep momentum in the game when it was required. This was abundantly clear in the final 15 minutes, with the Spanish star picking up loose ball after loose ball and continuing to probe away as they searched for a winner.

As we saw, that constant probing and making the right pass allowed Arsenal to finally get the goal they wanted, as Kai Havertz slotted in during injury time.

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Martin Zubimendi’s stats against Sporting Lisbon

Some will argue that Zubimendi was quiet during the game but the reality is that he did what he needed to in the midfield.

Zubimendi completed 95% of his passes in the middle of the park, including setting up one key chance for the Gunners.

With 68 touches, he had the same amount as Martin Odegaard but with Odegaard’s passing accuracy down at 81%, it shows how good the Spaniard was in the middle of the park.

Crucially too, Zubimendi also made three crucial interceptions, showing his reading of the game as well as calmness in possession.

In the end, Arsenal’s quality told here and Zubimendi was among those to show that quality.