On the morning of December 28th, Arsenal faced Ipswich Town in their last match of the 18th round of the Premier League at home. In the 23rd minute of the game, Trossard broke through and sent an assist with a cross, while Havertz scored the only goal of the match, helping the team to a narrow victory over their opponents. With this win, Arsenal continues to make steady progress, chasing after Liverpool, and at the same time, they have discovered a gem with a 1-0 victory! An 18-year-old rising star shone brightly throughout the match, earning high praise from Arteta, and a new Saka has been born.
After defeating Ipswich, Arsenal remains unbeaten in 11 consecutive matches across all competitions. On the Premier League table, Arsenal surpassed Chelsea by one point, moving up to second place, trailing Liverpool by six points despite playing one more game. Arsenal currently leads Newcastle, ranked fifth, by seven points. Given Arsenal's current form, securing a spot in next season's Champions League should not be too difficult, and their goal remains to compete for the title. With half the season still remaining, Arsenal has ample opportunities to catch up with Liverpool.
Arsenal is a very young team with many talented players. As the season progresses, 18-year-old Arsenal academy player Lewis Skelly has gradually come into his own, gaining the affection of Arsenal fans. In the match against Ipswich, Skelly started at left-back and was not substituted. He completed the most dribbles (2) and key passes (2) in the game, and was also fouled the most times (3).
Skelly had 86 touches, losing possession only four times, with 59 passes and 58 successful ones. He successfully contested the ground nine times, winning eight of them, and made three interceptions and two clearances. Skelly was particularly active in the game, demonstrating great destructive power when carrying the ball forward, showing fierce determination in challenges, and maintaining composure when in possession, giving off a mature demeanor for his age. Skelly got into a confrontation with Phillips during the match, displaying a tenacity that he had previously shown when facing Haaland. Unafraid like a calf unafraid of tigers, Skelly is willing to stand up for his teammates, and Gunners fans see shades of Xhaka in him.
Skelly, like Saka, stands at 1.78 meters tall and is a left-footed player who was initially placed at left-back in his career. Skelly has a natural talent for offense, excelling especially in dribbling and passing behind the defense after receiving the ball, with strong passing insight. Skelly's position can be moved forward, playing as a winger or even a forward. Recently, Skelly has pushed Kalafiori to the bench, which shows how much trust Arteta has in him.
When discussing Skelly, Arteta described him as a special individual, more mature than his peers. The coach believes that Skelly's characteristics are well-suited to Arsenal's style of play and considers him deserving of praise. With Saka injured, Skelly, another product of the Arsenal academy, is expected to step up and help the team continue their pursuit of the Premier League title.