Arteta must now brutally bench "dominant" Arsenal star who won 100% duels v City -

As north London forever blasted out across the Emirates Stadium tanoy yesterday evening, carnage was unfolding among Arsenal supporters.

They have taken to that song like they've sung it all their lives, and it could well remain their good luck charm the longer this Mikel Arteta reign goes on.

Sunday's rendition was perhaps the loudest we've ever heard in N5. Who can blame the fans, either? Particularly after defeating Manchester City.

Gabriel Martinelli's late goal was a statement strike as Arteta defeated his former employers for the first time in his managerial career. It was a stunning win, and their first over the Citizens since 2015.

The last time Arsenal took all three points were the days of Arsene Wenger and Manuel Pellegrini. How times change.

Now, City are treble winners. They've won a European crown and the Gunners have got their swagger back too. They may not have won a trophy last season but days like these reminded everyone that they could well be mentioned in the same breath as the elite come the end of this season.

Their squad depth is even improving, something that was seen with the winning goal as three substitutes, including the aforementioned Martinelli and Takehiro Tomiyasu combined. The Brazilian will get many of the plaudits, but let's pause for a moment and celebrate the performance of Arteta's Japanese defender.

What impact did Tomiyasu have against City?
When Arsenal were defeated by Pep Guardiola's side last February, Tomiyasu was one of the figures to blame.

His back pass sold Aaron Ramsdale short which allowed Kevin De Bruyne to steel in and send the ball soaring over the goalkeeper and into the back of the net.It was one of many decisive moments in the fight for the title, but the former Bologna man more than made up for it on this occasion.

Sent on for Oleksandr Zinchenko with 15 minutes remaining as part of a three man substitution including Kai Havertz and Thomas Partey, they all combined for the goal.

Tomiyasu was charged with playing at left-back but found himself marauding forward for the winner. The 24-year-old found himself operating as the furthest man forward, peeling off the last defender and latching onto a lofted ball forward from Partey.

The Japan international was totally aware of his surroundings and knocked the ball into Havertz who was duly supporting his colleague. The German took the ball down nicely before laying it perfectly into the path of Martinelli. The rest is history.

Partey-Tomiyasu-Havertz-Arsenal
It was a vital touch from Tomiyasu who more than proved he has what it takes to operate in central areas, a key facet of Arteta's full-backs. Just ask Zinchenko.

However, he's an incredibly reliable defender too, with the manager having waxed lyrical about him only last week, saying: "I always said that I’m really confident that the moment Tomi has consistency, he’s going to be a tremendous asset for us.

"He already is. He can play in any position in the backline, any formation in the backline, we don’t have another player like him. At defending, he’s probably one of the best that I’ve seen in many situations."

So with that in mind, what better time to unleash him as a more permanent fixture in the Premier League starting XI?

Who could Tomiyasu replace in the Arsenal side?
As Arteta says, Tomiyasu is incredibly capable of playing anywhere in defence. That makes him a remarkable asset in this side, and it also means that no other defender should be relaxed about keeping their place.

The £55k-per-week earner initially broke through at Arsenal as a right-back, but has also been seen in the middle and more so this season at left-back following Jurrien Timber's long-term injury.

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