Arsenal: William Saliba's MOTM highlights vs Crystal Palace

William Saliba made a real statement for Arsenal on Friday night.

After three years of hype on the back of his move from Saint-Étienne as a fledgling youngster, Gooners finally got to see what Saliba was all about as he made his competitive debut against Crystal Palace.

It’s crazy to think that it’s taken so long for the 21-year-old to make his Arsenal debut, especially given the undeniable quality that he showed out on loan with Nice and Marseille.

And clearly Saliba is able to transfer the form that saw him named Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year last season to the Premier League, because he proceeded to put on a Man of the Match display at Selhurst Park.

While fellow debutants Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko also drew plenty of applause from the travelling support, it was the three-years-in-the-making bow that really caught the eye.

That’s because Saliba looked as though he’d been playing in England’s top-flight for years as he commanded Arsenal’s back-line alongside Zinchenko, Ben White and Gabriel Magalhães.

Saliba’s dominant display at the back was perhaps most finely demonstrated by his one-on-one battle with Wilfried Zaha, which culminated in the type of penalty box challenge that you rarely see these days.

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But there was much more to the young Frenchman’s output than just one masterful tackle as he cut a calm and collected presence on the ball, keeping possession ticking and firing off a long ball when necessary.

In fact, Saliba was handed the Man of the Match award for his efforts with SofaScore clocking him in at seven clearances, 94% passing accuracy, zero fouls conceded and an overall rating of 7.4 out of 10.

So,