Eddie Nketiah has silenced his critics after not being able to impress Arsenal fans with his outing against West Ham in the first half of their Premier League match on Boxing Day. Manager Mikel Arteta had earlier said that Nketiah is now fit to replace Gabriel Jesus, who is out with an injury.
The 23-year-old has been playing for Arsenal since 2017, barring the 2019-2020 season when he was loaned out to Leeds United. He gave Arsenal their third goal of the night with an impressive strike. Watch the goal right here:
Check out some of the fan reactions to his performance before the goal right here:
Gabriel Jesus sustained a serious knee injury at the Qatar World Cup that forced him to return early to London. He has had a knee surgery and is expected to be out for around three months.
Regarding his injury, Arteta said, “With Gabi it’s difficult to put a time frame. I never gave a date. I said that we don’t know,” further adding, “It’s going to take some time for sure. He’s gone through surgery and that tells you the extent of the injury.”
However, Arsenal fans need not worry since Arteta has also said that the club will be looking to sign a striker in the winter transfer window. He said, “We will be in the market always active and we will assess the biggest opportunities that we have.”
Although West Ham were leading after the first half, Arsenal have now staged an impressive comeback thanks to two goals in the span of five minutes in the second half of the match. After Bukayo Saka equalised in the 53rd minute, Gabriel Martinelli gave the Gunners a lead in the 58th minute with a deft finish from a steep angle.
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If Arsenal manage to win tonight, they will be on 40 points, seven ahead of Newcastle and eight ahead of Manchester City. They have suffered only one defeat this season, to Manchester United.
