Arsenal left-back Jakub Kiwior delivered an impressive performance as the Gunners progressed to the Champions League quarter-final.
The north London giants were trailing 1-0 against Porto after the first leg of the round of 16 tie and they needed a big performance at home.
Porto were hugely impressive with their first half showing at the Emirates Stadium and Arsenal had to work hard to create scoring chances.
One moment of brilliance from Martin Odegaard paved the way for Leandro Trossard to equalise for the Gunners right before the interval.
In the second half, the Gunners lacked the cutting edge in front of goal aside from the Odegaard strike which was cancelled out by the referee. Kai Havertz was deemed to have fouled Pepe.
It was the same case throughout extra-time where they played with extra caution.
The club eventually won the game through penalties. David Raya, who made a brilliant save in the first half, denied Porto twice from the shoot-out.
There were no surprises that Raya bagged the man of the match award. Odegaard and Trossard were also brilliant after making vital goal contributions.
However, we believe Kiwior was an unsung hero in the win, having been rock-solid from the left side of the defence until his 105th minute substitution.
The Poland star has been brilliant at left-back in recent weeks with Oleksandr Zinchenko’s injury and he has kept his place even after the latter’s comeback.
He showed his class last night with 46 touches, winning 100 per cent of his aerial duels (3/3).
The 24-year-old also kept possession impressively against Joao Mario and Francisco Conceicao. He had one lapse towards the end with fatigue creeping up.
The Gunners had more nervous moments after Zinchenko came on in extra-time. He conceded a late and needless corner which could have cost the game.
In our opinion, Kiwior has earned the right to start with his stand-out performances. He looks undroppable at the moment with his current run of form.
Stats from Sofascore.com
