“He was absolutely outstanding against stubborn Manchester City, he didn’t allow their players to breath with every touch he made for the whole 90 minutes”- Manchester United Legend Paul Scholes says he’s seriously impressed with sensational £29M Arsenal star man’s performance against Pep’s City

“He was absolutely outstanding against stubborn Manchester City, he didn’t allow their players to breath with every touch he made for the whole 90 minutes”- Manchester United Legend Paul Scholes says he’s seriously impressed with sensational £29M Arsenal star man’s performance against Pep’s City

‘ABSOLUTELY OUTSTANDING’… PAUL SCHOLES SERIOUSLY IMPRESSED WITH £29M ARSENAL PLAYER V MANCHESTER CITY

Manchester City against Arsenal was supposed to be a thrilling top-of-the-table clash; what we actually saw was a game between two sides who seemingly just didn’t want to lose.

Liverpool got their business done earlier in the day, beating Brighton and Hove Albion 2-1 at Anfield despite falling behind early on.

It was over to City and Arsenal for the day’s big clash with many expecting a heavyweight bout at the Etihad Stadium.

This ended up being a drab affair though as neither side were able to find a breakthrough; in all honesty, it didn’t really look like either side pushed all that hard for a winner.

A 0-0 draw doesn’t really help either side but Liverpool will be delighted as they sit two points clear at the top of the table.

Mikel Arteta will probably be the happier of the two managers; a point and a clean sheet away at City is more than many sides claim at the Etihad Stadium.

As for City, they just weren’t at it once again and have taken just three points from four games against Liverpool and Arsenal this season, showing the drop-off from last season.

We have to praise Arsenal for nullifying City’s attack and a key part of that was the performance of defender William Saliba.

Paul Scholes on William Saliba

Saliba has been exceptional all season long and it was no surprise to see him excel against City once again.

Erling Haaland barely had a sniff of goal as he battled against Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes in the heart of the Arsenal back line.

Saliba may be dividing opinion over in France as the debate over whether or not he should be in the French starting lineup rages on.

The Arsenal man is shining in the Premier League though and has now received praise from Paul Scholes.

Scholes told Sky Sports (31/03, 18:20) that Saliba was his man of the match, praising him as ‘absolutely outstanding’.

Neville added that Saliba was a ‘giant’ in the Arsenal back line as he and his teammates secured a rare clean sheet at the Etihad Stadium.

The former Manchester United ace noted that City haven’t drawn a Premier League blank at home since 2021, highlighting Saliba’s quality.

“A clean sheet up here is rare and he’s been absolutely outstanding, a giant out there on the pitch,” said Scholes. “It’s going back to 2021, the last time that Manchester City didn’t score here in the Premier League,” he added.

£29m defender Saliba recorded five clearances, two successful aerial duels, two tackles and one blocked shot in a superb display.

Still only 23, the sky appears to be the limit for Saliba – and Haaland won’t be relishing the prospect of facing him for years to come.