David Luiz made a piece of Premier League history on the final day of the season… but not for the right reasons.
As has been the case for much of his career, the Brazilian has veered from the sublime to ridiculous with remarkable consistency during his first season with Arsenal.
Since the resumption of the Premier League in June, Luiz endured a horror-show against Manchester City, earned a new one-year contract and then marshalled the Gunners superbly to an FA Cup semi-final win.
It’s never dull when Luiz is in town.
Arsenal were in rampant form in the first half of their final league game of the campaign with a Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang double and Kieran Tierney’s first goal for the club giving them a 3-0 lead over Watford.
If anything, Arsenal were too confident against the Hornets. Enter David Luiz.
A mistimed challenge on one-time Arsenal forward and cult hero Danny Welbeck presented Watford a penalty on the stroke of half-time which Troy Deeney duly dispatched.
That foul meant that Luiz has conceded a whopping five penalties in the Premier League this season, more than any other player has managed in a single campaign in the competition’s history.
David Luiz:
3 penalties conceded in 160 PL games for Chelsea
5 penalties conceded in 33 for Arsenal— Duncan Alexander (@oilysailor) July 26, 2020
As per Opta’s Duncan Alexander, Luiz has conceded two more penalties in 33 league games for Arsenal than he managed in 160 for former club Chelsea.
That Deeney penalty certainly roused Watford as they came out a different side after the restart and reduced the scoreline further through Welbeck’s finish from close-range after Ismaila Sarr’s cutback.
Needing a win to have any chance of avoiding relegation, Watford laid siege on Arsenal’s penalty area in the second half, out-shooting their hosts by ten to seven.
Arsenal survived the onslaught and Luiz played his part in Arsenal’s resilient, albeit slightly fortuitous, display, making two tackles and two blocks to ensure a victorious end to the season.
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