In Arsenal’s 3-1 comeback victory over West Ham on Boxing Day, manager Mikel Arteta said Eddie Nketiah performed admirably despite the pressure of filling in for injured striker Gabriel Jesus.
Nketiah, 23, scored the third goal for the Gunners in their return to Premier League play after their Brazilian teammate injured his knee during the World Cup. It was also the 23-year-old’s first start of the season.
Nketiah’s replacement, the prolific Jesus, has five goals in 14 top-flight appearances this season. While some worried that Nketiah might falter under the pressure of filling Jesus’ shoes, Arteta was adamant that his forward treated the opportunity more like a stroll in the park.
What did Mikel Arteta say about Eddie Nketiah?
“He’s a really confident boy,” he said. “But hopefully [the goal] can give him, if he had any doubts, more confidence about what he is capable of doing. His performance was really, really good, and on top of that, he scored a great goal. For Eddie and for the team I think it was really important.”
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Arsenal focused to maintain the points gap
With the victory, Arsenal finished the evening with a seven-point advantage over Newcastle, who was in second place and one point ahead of Manchester City at the end of the Boxing Day competition.
Despite Arteta’s prompt emphasis on the difficult remainder of the season, his team has continued to dare to dream of winning trophies.
“I allow them to do everything that they want,” Arteta said. “What I tell them is that we have to focus on us. We cannot control what the opponents are going to do, how good they are going to become, or how many points they are going to earn or drop.”
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