Arsenal were beaten by Manchester United on Sunday but there were positives for the Gunners to take from Sunday’s match.
Arsene Wenger handed starts to Konstantinos Mavropanos and Ainsley Maitland-Niles, both of whom are just 20-years-old, and fans were pleased with what they saw from the pair.
Maitland-Niles, playing in his desired central midfield position, shone despite coming up against the imposing duo of Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic.
He collected the Man of the Match award and would later express his joy at starting at Old Trafford.
“I'm happy playing in midfield and the boss trusts in me there," he told Arsenal's website after the 2-1 defeat.
"I guess I delivered. I love playing centre midfield and to do that for Arsenal at Manchester United in the Premier League is a dream come true.”
Match of the Day may have failed to mention Maitland-Niles in their highlights programme but Thierry Henry, a pundit on Sky Sports, couldn’t do the same.
Henry's analysis
He raved about the youngster, saying: “He has an idea of what he's supposed to do with the ball. What I like with him is that he has legs, he's a box to box player.
"You know, you are against Matic and Pogba today and you didn't shy away from any challenge, wanting the ball, covering, putting your body in, and it's very good.”
Maitland-Niles has been used as a wing-back this season but Henry wants Arsenal's next manager to play him in the middle.
"He did go on the counter also so he was acting on both sides of the field,” the Frenchman added.
“I think this is his best position. He had to do job at times at left-back, right-back, wing-back or whatever he played but this is best position."
His emergence is exciting not just for Arsenal and their next manager but for England, too.
Maitland-Niles was part of the Under-20 side that won the World Cup in 2017 and he will be on Gareth Southgate’s radar when qualification for the European Championship in 2020 gets underway.