If you could dream up a scenario which might have secured striker-less Arsenal a victory in their first game following the loss of Kai Havertz, Mikel Merino jumping off the bench to leap and meet Ethan Nwaneri’s perfect cross would probably have been one of the scenarios. Then, sealing the game with a second, minutes later, to eradicate any nerves was near-perfect.
Everything that happened prior to the goal, however, was anything but perfect; but more on that later. The win takes Arsenal within four points of Liverpool and adds pressure to their title rivals as they host Wolves on Sunday afternoon.
Make no mistake, Liverpool players, staff, and fans will have been looking at the clock ticking down and hoping of restoring their nine-point lead after the draw in the Merseyside derby. The late goals might have tested the Gunners’ resolve and composure, but a comfortable win might not have had the same mental implications for their rivals.
Mikel Arteta spoke after the game after being asked whether Merino is indeed now the solution. Of course, that is not the case, nor should it be, but he is an option, and the manager certainly wants the burden to be shared.
The next player to come back is expected to be Gabriel Martinelli, but the Gunners will need to find a way of navigating the upcoming handful of games without him. Most would say that West Ham at home, like against Leicester, is an expectation for Arsenal to find a way through relatively comfortably and claim three points.
But the trip to Nottingham Forest, a ground where Arsenal have notoriously struggled to get a result, losing in the league and cup with many more senior forwards available to them, will be a far sterner test. Yet what these games offer is a significant momentum and morale-boosting reward should they find a way to win.
Arsenal would drop points in just two matches in the whole of the second half of the previous season. With the win over Leicester, the club remain just three points off the tally at the same stage of the previous season.
