The Myles Lewis-Skelly Arsenal masterclass no one is talking about after Wolves red card
Myles Lewis-Skelly found himself in the headlines for all the wrong reasons on Saturday afternoon. In fact, his red card in Arsenal's late 1-0 win over Wolves still remains a huge talking point almost 48 hours on given Michael Oliver's hugely controversial decision just prior to half-time.
The Gunners teenager was dismissed after tripping the onrushing Matt Doherty 10 yards outside the Wolves box as the hosts looked to counter at speed. It was cynical from Lewis-Skelly, with everyone expecting a yellow card to be dished out for a tactical foul.
Instead, Oliver went to his back pocket and brandished his red card in Lewis-Skelly's direction. It was a decision that sparked outrage amongst the Arsenal team, bench and in the away section. Speaking to the media after the game, Arteta stated he was "absolutely fuming" about his player's red card.
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Despite the setback, Arsenal did manage to go and win the contest courtesy of Riccardo Calafiori's well-taken strike four minutes after Joao Gomes had seen red for the hosts. Another victory the Gunners will be hoping to achieve in the coming days is Lewis-Skelly having his red card overturned, thus meaning he will available for the Premier League games against Manchester City and Leicester City either side of the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg tie at Newcastle United.
Unfortunately, Lewis-Skelly's red card meant that all the talk from half-time onwards was about his dismissal and not the eye-catching performance he delivered in his 43 minutes on the pitch. Had the 18-year-old remained on the field for the entirety of the contest, all the talk after the game would surely have centred around another standout display in Arteta's Arsenal team.
Lewis-Skelly was excellent and it was once again another performance that belied his tender years. All he needed was 30 seconds on the clock to make his presence felt as he went on a surging run through the middle of the park.
Receiving the ball close to the halfway line and turning sharply to get the better of Andre, an off-balance Lewis-Skelly then used his strength to motor past Pablo Sarabia and hold off Gomes before playing the ball wide to Leandro Trossard. It was sublime play from the starlet and a sign of things to come from him later in the match.
Thirteen minutes into the contest, Lewis-Skelly then played a brilliant through ball that dissected the Wolves defence to find Declan Rice in the area. The midfielder's second touch eluded him, though, and that allowed Santiago Bueno an opportunity to come across and nip in with a timely block.
Lewis-Skelly also demonstrated what he can do at the other end of the pitch, notably frustrating Matheus Cunha down the left flank midway through the first half and duly winning a free-kick. The Arsenal man used his body and his strength to perfection to win the ball off the Brazilian and subsequently draw Nelson Semedo into a foul.
Lewis-Skelly's numbers from the game (via FotMob) were outstanding and they very much highlighted the huge impact he had on the contest. In his 43 minutes on the pitch, Arsenal's No.49 recorded a 100% pass accuracy from his 16 passes, he made five passes into the final third, he was successful with two of his three dribbles and he made three defensive actions.
The highly-rated star also won six of his eight ground duels, he won three free-kicks and he came out on top in his only tackle of the game. Amid his dubious red card just prior to half-time, it really is a shame that very little has been said about what he produced on the pitch at Molineux because he was a shining light in an otherwise poor first half.
Already a big player for Arteta's Arsenal at the tender age of 18, all connected with the north London club will be hoping that Lewis-Skelly is in a position to play in their next three domestic games. Arsenal really do have a star on their hands.