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Arsenal fans slammed Kai Havertz after he failed to make an impact during the Gunners' 2-1 loss against Lens in the UEFA Champions League today (October 3).
Mikel Arteta's side had a bright start to the game, taking the lead in the 14th minute. Bukayo Saka latched onto Adrien Thomasson's loose pass to set up Gabriel Jesus, who made no mistake in front of goal.
Thomasson made up for his error by curling a stunning into the bottom right corner from distance in the 25th minute. Arsenal looked dominant in the second half as they probed for a winner.
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However, it was Lens who took the lead in the 69th minute after Elye Wahi brilliantly connected with Przemyslaw Frankowski's cross. The Gunners nearly leveled the scores in the 90th minute only for Jonathan Gradit to heroically block Reiss Nelson's goal-bound effort.
Kai Havertz had a poor game in midfield, only getting a rating of 6.0 on FotMob. The £65 summer signing had zero accurate crosses, won zero tackles, and lost 10 duels. He was eventually substituted in the 70th minute for Emile Smith Rowe.
Arsenal fans blasted Havertz for his performance. One fan posted on X (formerly Twitter):
"Havertz is our worst ever player"
Another fan wrote:
"Kai Havertz first will lead us to UCL exit then we replace chelsea at 12th and we all will be there"
"Rubbish, Mikel is a disgrace for not taking him off sooner."
Havertz has struggled to impress since joining the Gunners this summer from Chelsea. Despite being played as a midfielder rather than a No. 9, the 24-year-old has only scored one goal in 11 appearances to date.
Arsenal are currently second in Group B in the Champions League with three points from two games, one point behind Lens.
Lens vs Arsenal: Exploring the stats from UCL clash
Arsenal were defeated 2-1 against Lens at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis in their UEFA Champions League group stage clash today, their first loss of their season in all competitions so far. Let's take a look at the stats to see how both teams performed.
The Gunners dominated possession, controlling 67% of the ball. They completed a mammoth 702 passes with an accuracy of 89%. In contrast, Lens had 33% of the ball and registered 338 passes with an accuracy of 78%.
Mikel Arteta's men looked more threatening in attack as well, landing a total of 11 shots with six being on target. On the other hand, Lens had 10 shots in total, with three being on target. However, the home team proved to be more profilic, securing an emphatic 2-1 win.
