Arsenal cruised to a 3-0 victory over Dinamo Zagreb at the Emirates Stadium to all but secure their passage to the last-16 of the Champions League.
It was a memorable night for Kai Havertz as he scored and cushioned a beautiful lay-off for team mate Declan Rice to open the scoring inside just two minutes.
Havertz scored a 9/10 in the Arsenal player ratings and was a constant threat with his intelligent movement and sheer physicality.
His performance showed how the character of the German international. Havertz received brutal criticism from fans against Manchester United and has missed big chances in recent matches.
However, one stat following his heroics in the Champions League may suggest that any criticism of Havertz is well wide of the mark.
Kai Havertz equals his goal scoring tally from last season
Following his thumping header from a wonderful Gabriel Martinelli cross, Havertz has now moved his goal tally on to 14 for the season across all competitions.
The German striker has now equalled his record from the entirety of his first campaign in an Arsenal shirt, doing so in 21 fewer games.
He may have spent a large chunk of last season playing in a deeper midfield position however, the fact that Havertz already has 14 to his name this season suggests that he is well on course to bag 20 goals.
Fans and pundits have been crying out that Arsenal need a ’20-goal a season’ striker but they might already have one on their hands.
Havertz has been wrongly criticised this season
There is no doubt that Mikel Arteta needs more attacking options in his squad and Arsenal have made contact with Benjamin Sesko.
The criticism of Havertz however, has been over the top from fans and pundits alike and the spotlight has fallen on the striker because other attacking players have not chipped in with regular goals alongside him.
Speaking on TNT Sports post-match Champions League coverage, pundit Owen Hargreaves also believes that Havertz gets too much criticism, Hargreaves stated: “I love him as a player.”
Havertz needs help from Arteta and Arsenal’s wingers in order to be as effective as he can in playing the lone number nine role and so far this season he has been left isolated and open to criticism far too often.
14 goals is an excellent return for a player in January and that doesn’t mention the four assists he has contributed too. Others now need to start stepping up and help the German fire Arsenal to their first trophy in five years.
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