Following the long-term knee injury suffered by Calum Chambers, it was no surprise to see Arsenal look to sign a centre-back in the January transfer window.

And in the end, despite it only being a loan deal, they managed to bring in Flamengo’s Pablo Mari until the end of the season, with an option to buy.

The Spaniard has predominantly been building up his fitness with training sessions with the first-team, and outings for the club’s U23s side. But on Monday night, he was finally given his chance to make his debut for the north Londoners, more than one month after arriving.

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And he did not disappoint at all. The Gunners’ FA Cup fifth round clash against Portsmouth certainly appeared to have all the hallmarks of an upset, with the Fratton Park faithful bouncing up and down, and the home side looking the more threatening in the first-half, registering eight shots to the visitors seven.

But as Portsmouth looked to pile on the pressure with some intense pressing, and testing deliveries into the box, Mari stood firm like a rock at the heart of the defence. Standing at an imposing 6 foot 4, the centre-back cuts a major physical presence on the pitch, and he used every bit of his natural height to help ensure the Gunners didn’t become overwhelmed by all the balls in the air.

As per Sofascore, he won three of his four aerial duels, made five clearances, and blocked three shots too. But perhaps even more importantly for Mikel Arteta, Mari’s profile as a left-footed centre-back just seemed to open the game up for Arsenal so much more.

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No longer did the Gunners have David Luiz having to come on to his stronger right foot, and inevitably closing the space. Instead, Mari could drive forward with more purpose and find the likes of Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli in the left channel with a bit more ease.

And, occasionally, he showed his range of passing too with a couple of wonderful cross-field diagonal balls. All in all, he enjoyed 100 touches (only two behind the man in first, Matteo Guendouzi), made 77 passes at an accuracy of 89%, and delivered 13 accurate long balls out of the 17 that he attempted.

It was a defensive masterclass from a man playing his first game for the club. Arteta will no doubt have been left very excited at the prospect of establishing a defensive partnership with Mari at the core. The Spaniard looked cool, calm and collected at the back, and with a clean sheet under his belt on his debut, the Gunners boss will have been left purring at the kind of performance and influence his new recruit had.

Meanwhile, Arsenal must avoid relying on this ace to succeed next season.