Arsenal: Mohamed Elneny's superhuman pressing vs Man Utd in 2020
Mohamed Elneny loves a big game.
It’s crazy to think that a player whose Arsenal career looked to be dead and buried upon being sent out on loan to Besiktas for the 2019/20 season has been given such a new lease of life.
Sure, Elneny most certainly isn’t a regular starter for the Gunners and has largely been benched in recent months, but he still endures as a handy squad player for Mikel Arteta to call upon.
Elneny shines vs Chelsea
And that couldn’t possibly have been any clearer than during Arsenal’s 4-2 win at Chelsea on Wednesday night with Elneny completing his first 90 minutes in the Premier League since December.
A brace from Eddie Nketiah, as well as strikes from Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka, ultimately took centre stage, but the influence of Elneny in Arsenal’s midfielder shouldn’t be underplayed.
The 29-year-old received widespread praise from Gooners on social media for a combative display up against Chelsea’s midfield trio of Ruben Loftus-Cheek, N’Golo Kante and Mason Mount.
Elneny’s individual highlights
According to SofaScore, Elneny completed four interceptions, two clearances, one tackle, one key pass and lost possession just five times with a pass completion rate of 90% to his name.
As such, we couldn’t recommend enough that you bask in the brilliance of Elneny’s display at Stamford Bridge by checking out his individual highlights down below:
Cracking work.
Elneny’s masterclass at Old Trafford
However, it’s not the first time that Elneny has delivered the goods for Arsenal during a major Premier League game against a member of the so-called ‘big six’.
That’s because Elneny produced arguably his greatest ever performance in an Arsenal shirt during the 1-0 win over Manchester United at the start of the 2020/21 campaign.
In a match that was ultimately decided by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s penalty, Elneny covered every blade of grass for a sensational display at Old Trafford that Arsenal fans hadn’t seen coming.
Elneny’s epic pressing vs Man Utd
And the pièce de résistance of the Egyptian’s masterclass against United was when he showed some of the most hardcore pressing that we’ve ever seen in the Premier League.
That’s because Elneny went full ‘Andrew Robertson vs Manchester City’ by single-handedly pressing multiple United players despite his legs surely being shot as it transpired in stoppage time.
Yeh, seriously, so do yourselves a favour and be sure to relive the moment that Elneny outdid himself with some superhuman pressing at the ‘Theatre of Dreams’. You won’t regret it.
Remember when Mohammed Elneny was told by Unai Emery to find another club? . This is him pressing hard in the 91st minute, he is massive, he is a gargantuan. 🤯
— Saliba 🔴 🇵🇸 (@SalibaEra_) November 2, 2020
pic.twitter.com/t8CJKEQFHM
Its 91st minute but look how Mo Elneny is pressing hard!! 👏 #MUNARS pic.twitter.com/vom1RxQr0X
— Dominchez Mwema (@dominchez_mwema) November 1, 2020
Imagine having that much energy after battling away for 90 minutes.
A big-game player
It really is the perfect example of what Elneny offers for Arsenal, too, because that do-or-die attitude can so often be crucial when it comes to wars of attrition against the strongest teams.
Yes, he’s not the most technically-gifted player in the team and yes, he’s never going to start week in, week out, but he has his role at Arsenal and almost always executes it with 100% effort.
Chelsea 2-4 Arsenal Match Reaction (Football Terrace)
Elneny is the big-game player that Arsenal never knew they needed.