Jack Grealish has hit back at Gabby Agbonlahor after the TalkSport pundit claimed that Arsenal star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang did not deserve to get the assist for Emile Smith Rowe’s goal last night.
Arsenal picked up the win against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge thanks to Jorginho’s howler. However, Aubameyang still had a lot to do after Kepa pushed the ball off the line, and he did it perfectly.
The Gunners skipper did not panic, took his time and rolled the ball into Smith Rowe’s path. The young Englishman found the bottom corner with his weaker foot and that proved to be enough to get the three points.
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Agbonlahor has today claimed that simple passes like Aubameyang’s last night should not count as assists. He believes that only ‘worldie’ passes deserve recognition, which really is baffling.
Agbonlahor: Aubameyang’s assist shouldn’t count
He said on TalkSport: “When you are in the box and it comes off your knee and then a striker puts it away you are getting an assist because you touched it last. It is absolute nonsense, I think if you make a worldie pass that is an assist.
“If you go past two or three players on a good run and you put it on a plate for someone, that is an assist. If you make a five-yard pass you cannot call that an assist, I am not having it one bit. I am saying if you get past a player with a good bit of skill and take players on and then you have put it on a plate for a striker, that is an assist.
“A worldie ball – a typical Kevin De Bruyne cross or a Cesc Fabregas ball then you get an assist. You can’t be getting passed the ball and you play it five yards across to the guy who taps it in. Last night, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, that is not an assist for me. For the Smith Rowe goal, I am not having it, all he has done is pass it.
“It’s an assist but I am not counting it on his tally, I am not having it. That’s the only pass he could have played there, if he went past a few players and put it on a plate for Smith Rowe then fair enough.”
Grealish hits back at Agbonlahor’s theory
We’ve seen many absurd football opinions over the years and this is one is right up there with the very worst. It almost seems like Agbonlahor made this argument just because he wanted to wind a few people up, and well, he’s done that successfully.
Arsenal fans and football supporters, in general, have hit back at his comments. Even his former teammate Jack Grealish jumped into Aubameyang’s defence on Twitter earlier today.
Read more: Jamie Redknapp not happy with what Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang did last night