Cedric Soares was one of the better performers as Arsenal drew 0-0 with Manchester United yesterday.
The Portuguese full-back was played out of position as a left-back and had to deal with Marcus Rashford and Aaron Wan-Bissaka attacking him, but he rose to the occasion.
He started poorly and earned a booking early in the game, but he didn’t allow that to hold him back and he became an important contributor to the shared points.
In the absence of Kieran Tierney, Mikel Arteta could have turned to Ainsley Maitland-Niles, who has played in that position before.
But he turned to Soares just as he did in the last game against Southampton.
Star Sports wrote about the things that Arteta got right in the game, and they praised the former Saints defender for delivering a performance that should make Arteta trust him again.
They wrote: “Arteta made just one change from their win at Southampton on Tuesday night as Gabriel Martinelli came in for Bukayo Saka – who missed out as a precaution due to a sore hip.
“New signing Martin Odegaard, who joined on loan from Real Madrid on Wednesday, was named on the bench and eventually came on for a 10-minute cameo.
“But it was the defence which would have left Arsenal fans concerned, with Cedric Soares playing out of position again in place of first-choice left-back Kieran Tierney.
“And despite a shaky start, which saw him booked for an early foul on Fernandes, the Portuguese right-back repaid Arteta’s faith with a solid performance.
“Arteta could have opted for an alternative option, including playing Ainsley Maitland-Niles at left-back, but he wasn’t to regret his choice.”
After starting the season as a reserve option, Soares has now played four Premier League games for the Gunners.
He has surprised me, he has ability and he is a good defender, he could end up being a decent signing, the only problem is where Arteta sees him in the pecking order on the right.