Havertz is the aerial master – do Arsenal even need Toney? Three Stats Surprises from Porto win
Arsenal secured a place in the last eight of the Champions League on Tuesday (12 March) with a nail-biting penalty shoot-out win over Porto after drawing 1-1 on aggregate over two legs.
The Gunners’ only goal of the game came through Leandro Trossard on the stroke of half-time, which cancelled out Galeno’s long-range effort in the first leg.
Mikel Arteta’s side have advanced to the quarter-finals for the first time since 2010 – ending a run of seven straight last-16 exits in the Champions League.
Football Insider has analysed the data and uncovered some unexpected statistics.
Kai Havertz – the Arsenal aerial master
Fresh off his crucial winner in the Premier League clash against Brentford on Saturday (9 March), Kai Havertz delivered another top-class performance as the lone striker for Arteta’s side.
He has scored in four straight top-flight games and despite not making a big impact in front of goal against Porto, he certainly made his presence felt.
Havertz failed to record a shot on goal but it was his hold-up play which caught the eye against formidable Portuguese opposition.
He won nine (81.8%) of his 11 aerial duels (FBRef) up against the legendary Pepe and highly-rated youngster Otavio – over two times more than anyone else on the pitch.
The German has won 47.9% of his aerial battles in the Premier League, but Tuesday’s clash, and surprisingly dominant stats, shows he can lead the line and be the answer to Arsenal’s striker problem.
Brentford striker Ivan Toney has been heavily linked with Arteta’s side in recent months – but with Havertz blossoming at the Emirates in a centre-forward role, do they need him?
Bukayo Saka fails to live up to ‘world-class tag’
Arsenal fans will have been grateful that the winger dispatched his shoot-out penalty, but some will have been left wanting by his performance over the two legs.
Saka struggled in the first leg in Porto as the Gunners fell to a 1-0 defeat, with Rio Ferdinand claiming days earlier that he is not yet a “world-class” talent until he “does it in the Champions League”.
The 22-year-old was disappointing yet again in the home tie, failing to work the Porto goalkeeper with any of his four shots.
He also recorded a pass completion of just 66.7% (as per FBRef) and was dispossessed six times – the most of any player on the pitch.
Saka has had a stellar season for the Premier League title challengers, notching 16 goals and 15 assists in 37 games, but still has a way to go before he can be considered world-class.
Arsenal’s secret weapon is revealed
Tuesday’s clash may have had the first Champions League knockout stage shoot-out since the final between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid in 2016, but Arsenal were prepared for the occasion.
All four spot-kicks from Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice, Havertz and Saka were dispatched with aplomb in front of the North Bank while Porto floundered.
That shouldn’t have come as too much of a surprise – considering Arsenal have buried 100% of their nine penalties in all competitions this season (as per Transfermarkt).
The Gunners have dispatched eight penalties in the Premier League, which is the most of any side.
With the likes of Man City, Real Madrid and other European heavyweights to come in the quarter-final, Arsenal’s penalty record could prove a valuable secret weapon.
In other news, Arsenal make Oleksandr Zinchenko transfer decision.
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