Leandro Trossard made his full debut for Arsenal on Friday night as the league leading Gunners were dumped out of the FA Cup by their nearest challengers in the Premier League, Manchester City.
Despite exiting the most sought after domestic cup competition, Mikel Arteta’s men have bigger fish to fry this season, the Premier League. With the Gunners now out of the competition, it means City have to fight on more fronts and possibly actually a positive to take from defeat for Arsenal.
They now have less to focus on than their title rivals and will look to make that count with a cushion already at the top of the Premier League table, although there is still a long way to go before the ribbons will be on the trophy.
Leandro Trossard full debut
Arsenal new boy Trossard made his full debut against City last night, and despite the result not going his way, on a personal level it was a triumphant evening as he proved his worth to the travelling Gunners, showing his new fans exactly what they can expect.
It may not have been the most glamorous signing for a team bidding to win their first title for almost two decades, but it could appear to be a shrewd move if his debut is anything to go by. He looked a real handful and will only get better the longer he has with the team.
He had a glorious chance to find the back of the net, only to be denied by a top quality save. At the other end, it was an unlikely source for the hosts as defender Nathan Ake broke the deadlock, scoring what turned out to be the only goal of the game.
Video: Highlights on Leandro Trossard’s full debut
The Belgian certainly impressed for his new side, with the SofaScore ratings seeing just two of Arteta’s men break into the 7/10 and above. It was Trossard who registered a rating of seven with the website, but he will be rueing his chance.
He’ll have seen his name flash up in lights at the Emirates when he opened his body up, ready to fire on goal, but alas, it just wasn’t to be.
However, there’s no denying that he certainly was a bright spark for a slightly weaker Gunners lineup and who knows, the former Brighton man could well be a difference maker in London.