Arsenal’s Kai Havertz faced mass criticism for his performance in the Gunners’ 2-2 draw with Fulham on Saturday at the Emirates Stadium. For the third game in a row this season, the former Chelsea forward started in Mikel Arteta’s midfield three with Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice. The Germany international, although his decent performances against Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace, underperformed against Marco Silva’s team.
Kai Havertz performed terribly annoying Arsenal fans
When Havertz received Bukayo Saka’s cross in the eleventh minute, Arsenal should have equalised the score (1-1). However, Havertz unexpectedly missed the goal from a very close range after being unable to properly hit the ball. Only a few minutes later, Saka’s cross over the goal’s face presented him with the opportunity to score his first goal for the team. However he opted against taking a chance. Odegaard had a goal ruled out just before halftime because the linesman deemed Havertz was offside. You could see Declan Rice let out his rage when, under no pressure, Havertz delivered a horribly erroneous return pass to Gabriel Martinelli. The terrible pass forced Martinelli to run back just to keep the ball in play.
His performance was cut short when Fabio Vieira, who is a great super-sub, took his place in the 56th minute. After being fouled by Kenny Tete, the Portuguese player won the Gunners’ penalty. In addition, he assisted Eddie Nketiah in giving Arsenal a 2-1 lead with a perfectly placed pass. Due to Joao Palhinha’s goal, the north Londoners settled for a 2-2 draw. The Gunners might have won today’s match but Havertz wasted all golden chances.
Pundit Darren Bent slammed the german saying: “I’ll always back players that play for your club. But Havertz isn’t working in this Arsenal team. The midfield has no balance and right now, he’s offering nothing.”
In the Emirates Stadium, with the German international making his fourth appearance since joining for £65 million from Chelsea, there were loud jeers by fans. The home fans directed their “frustration” at him after one incident. However in spite of Kai Havertz’s terrible performances, Mikel Arteta has stood up for him.
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