Arsenal centre-back Jakub Kiwior was hailed by journalist Eduardo Hagn for his performance against Newcastle United in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.
How did Arsenal play against Newcastle?
It was an important victory for the Gunners yesterday afternoon, with the win taking them within just one point of league-leaders Manchester City, and they are still fighting to win their first Premier League title since 2004.
Martin Odegaard's first-half strike and a Fabian Schar own-goal provided Mikel Arteta's side with a 2-0 victory, keeping a clean sheet for the first time in eight games, a run stretching back to a 3-0 victory against Fulham in mid March.
Arsenal's competent defensive display coincided with Kiwior making just his second Premier League start since arriving from Spezia for £20m back in January, and members of the media were quick to praise the defender's performance.
Hagn took to Twitter to give credit to the 23-year-old for his displays since coming into the team, with the journalist saying: "A blessing these last two games. He’s shown he’s got what it takes to play for us. Won every battle against a very physical team… and faultless in possession. Jakub Kiwior."
Should Jakub Kiwior keep his place in the side?
It is a real surprise that Arteta did not bring the Pole into the starting XI sooner, given his performances over the past couple of weeks, making four clearances and three interceptions against Chelsea, the highest combined total of any Arsenal player.
The 6 foot 2 defender received a 7.0 Sofascore match rating against the Blues, and he was even better against Newcastle on Sunday, achieving a 7.2 rating, after winning all of his ground duels and only losing possession four times in the entire match.
Journalist Leyla Hamed has also praised the £29k-per-week earner, while querying Arteta's decision to not start him sooner, saying: "I wish we had played Kiwior more before. He has been the most confident with the ball at the back, so solid and composed. Definitely the closest to Saliba."
Rob Holding has been a real disappointment since coming in for William Saliba, with journalist Uche Amako branding him a "clear weak link" after his very poor performance against West Ham United back in April.
As such, Kiwior should undoubtedly keep his place in the side, heading into another tough game against Brighton & Hove Albion at the Emirates Stadium next weekend.
