It was a day to forget for Arsenal as Mikel Arteta's league leaders walked straight into an Everton storm and suffered a shock 1-0 defeat.
And Scotland star Kieran Tierney could only watch amid the Sean Dyche-induced whirlwind as a unused substitute – a decision which was noted by Football London in their post-match report. The £25m man has been forced into a watching brief for much of the English Premier League season amid Oleksandr Zinchenko's remarkable form since taking control of the starting left-back berth. And the Ukraine international's knack for following out Arteta's demand to thrive in the inverted role had Arsenal hero Martin Keown and Rio Ferdinand gushing before kick–off.
Keown, speaking to BT Sport said: "Tactically, it’s about this man, the way that he’s played as an inverted full-back, plays with a great deal of energy and intelligence, and almost arrogance to be honest. Zinchenko moves into that central area, the front three are out in their positions, and they can break. When Zinchenko comes into midfield it means Xhaka can burst forward and then they create extra space on the sides, they create a two v one in wide positions and it’s a nightmare to play against."
