Desperate to break the deadlock, Mikel Arteta replaced Raheem Sterling for the 28-year-old midfielder, who joined Arsenal from Real Sociedad in the summer. As briefly suggested in the pre-match press conference, Merino operated as a makeshift striker – and he quickly made his mark.
Shortly after coming on, the Spain international put the North Londoners ahead with a brilliant header. Then, a few moments later, Merino doubled his tally – and Arsenal's lead – with an excellent strike, latching onto another cross and guiding the ball past Mads Hermansen.
The Gunners are now just four points behind Liverpool in the title race, although the league leaders have a game in hand. In fact, Aston Villa will host the Reds on Sunday afternoon, and Arne Slot will be determined to restore the seven points cushion.
Nevertheless, following Arsenal's clash against Leicester City, Partey marked the win with a celebratory post on Instagram, which he captioned: "On days when I’m not at my best, the strength of the team carries us to victory. Vamoooosss."
David Raya, Riccardo Calafiori and Jurrien Timber were among the first Arsenal players to show their support, liking the 31-year-old midfielder's post. Partey has already featured 37 times for the Gunners across all competitions this season, playing a key role in Arteta's side.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Arteta reflected on Saturday's afternoon's clash. The Spaniard said: "Yes, a very tough match. The first half, especially the first 20-25 minutes, we struggled to get certain momentum because we did a lot of simple things very wrong, giving a lot of balls away and never really threatening and generating enough momentum and sequences in the opposition's box.
"But the second half was very different. We had much more urgency, better intentions, better executions. And then you can sense that the game was going in the direction that it had to go. Saying that, it's a moment when we give the ball away in the middle of the park.
"The space is open in the counter and Myles has to make a magic touch to deny the goal. And in the other end, that's when we scored the goal. With the shots, they were brilliant and Mikel obviously made a huge impact to score the two goals."
Then, when quizzed on the title race, Arteta shifted the focus onto his side's determination. The Arsenal boss said: "It was a lot of noise as well to show how much we want it. To believe in the resources and show that we want it."
0 Comments