And so it ended all square: Erling Haaland 1-1 Rob Holding. Holding’s was the finer finish, too, curled in from the edge of the box whereas Haaland’s was scuffed. He had the better chance conversion rate: one goal from two shots, compared to the Norwegian’s one from six. Although, of course, the fact a forward with 48 previous goals to his name had six attempts was an indictment of the defender charged with stopping him.
There is a case that Arsenal seasons end when Holding is required to start. A year ago, his sending off in the north London derby shifted the balance in the battle for fourth place to Tottenham. He was unable to deal with Heung-Min Son then, powerless to halt Haaland now. He is not alone in that, obviously: that record-breaking tally of goals cannot come when every centre-back is excelling. But there was something painful, something cruel in Holding’s torment by Haaland. Something predictable, too.
