Ian Wright says Rob Holding was “terrified” of Heung-min Son’s pace after the Arsenal defender was sent off against Tottenham on Thursday night.
The 26-year-old has impressed of late, stepping up to help his side beat London rivals Chelsea and West Ham in recent weeks to put Mikel Arteta’s side in command of the top-four battle with Tottenham.
Son, however, gave Holding a torrid time in the opening 30 minutes of the north London derby and the former Bolton defender was giving his marching orders after picking up two bookings in quick-succession.
Holding was booked either side of a Harry Kane brace, the first a penalty after Cedric was punished for a push on Son and the second a stooping header in the wake of the red card.
Son then added a third seconds after the restart, piling all of the pressure on Arsenal ahead of their must-win trip to Newcastle on Monday.
“Rob Holding is terrified of his pace,” said Wright on Premier League productions’ coverage.
“In each instance, we are seeing Rob Holding trying to win the ball.
“Especially after the first couple, you say okay it’s going into him. Let him get hold of it and maybe lay it back because you can’t afford to go down to ten men.
“He has got no complaints [for the red card]. That right side has been a problem for us. It has been a mismatch. You can see how uncomfortable Holding was.
“In the end, the way he has been sent off, he has no defence of himself there.”
