Arsenal fans send message to Mikel Arteta following

Pablo Mari made his debut for Arsenal and impressed during Monday night’s FA Cup win at Portsmouth.

The defender who arrived in January has had to wait patiently for a chance in Arteta’s first team following his temporary switch from Flamengo.

With Mari at the heart of the defence, the Gunners saw off Portsmouth in the fifth round of the competition. Goals from Sokratis and Eddie Nketiah saw the visitors go through at Fratton Park.

Whoscored.com shows that Mari completed 77 of his 86 passes, while he also won three aerial duels. He also made five clearances. Man of the Match star David Luiz was the only Arsenal player to manage more.

It is only League One opposition and it’s important not to get carried away, but Arsenal fans are rightfully encouraged by what they have seen.

Here’s what some of them had to say on Twitter…

Early thoughts on Pablo Mari – Yes, its Portsmouth, but he looks very comfortable on the ball and seems adept picking players between the lines at ease. Did well with the aerial duels and overall was calm and composed. Of course, very early days still.

— Sash ~ (@ltarsenal) March 2, 2020

https://twitter.com/enengin824/status/1234588213265797123?s=20

https://twitter.com/EduardoHagn/status/1234573187158929409?s=20

Some impressive long passes today from Pablo Marí, no surprise given what we heard about him before he arrived.

— Dan Critchlow (@afcDW) March 2, 2020

Pablo Mari’s Arsenal debut in numbers:

90 minutes
100 touches
77 passes
13 long balls
3 aerial duels won
3 shots blocked
5 clearances
1 clean sheet

A top performance 👏🏻 #afc pic.twitter.com/LC5UEXYSpV

— DailyAFC (@DailyAFC) March 2, 2020

Pablo Marí looks very comfortable on the ball. He has a finesse about his passing, both short and long. Really pleased with his debut. Promising.

— FK (@fkhanage) March 2, 2020