Nicolas Pepe hasn’t really set the stage on fire since his record breaking move to Arsenal, but he is steadily proving his worth with Sunday’s game against Newcastle United being another testament of his potential.
With 2 assists and a goal, the 24-year-old was the driving force as the Gunners breezed past the Magpies. He was one of the bright spots in the first half when the North London club were unable to make any inroads.
When the team switched on in the second half, the Ivorian was at the forefront of the Gunners offense. The winger’s performance did not go unnoticed as fans were quick to appreciate him.
Here are some of the reactions:
Arsenal last 3 wins in Premier League:
West Ham (A) 1-3 Pepe ⚽️🅰️
Manchester United (H): 2-0 Pepe ⚽️
Newcastle (H) 4-0 Pepe ⚽️🅰️🅰️Nicolas Pepe started in all of them. Vital player!
— AfcVIP⁴⁹ (@VipArsenal) February 16, 2020
1 goal. 2 assists. Retained the ball well. Tracked his runners. Won back possessions on numerous occasions.
A great display from Nicolas Pépé. More of the same please. pic.twitter.com/iN94wFjXD1
— Patrick Timmons (@PatrickTimmons1) February 16, 2020
Two assists and a goal for Pepe. If I speak.
— AFCAMDEN (@AFCAMDEN) February 16, 2020
There’s so much technical quality with Pepe. The game experience isn’t quite there yet in England but when it works out for him he’s something else. If I were Arteta I’d really enjoy working on getting the best out of him.
— James Benge (@jamesbenge) February 16, 2020
So much better in the second half, Pépé and Ozil were brilliant, I’m so happy for Lacazette getting that goal, you can see what it meant to everyone, let’s try and get some momentum now and climb up the table.
— MR DT (@MrDtAFC) February 16, 2020
Pepe got the assist for the opener when he floated in a dangerous cross that was headed home by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Just a couple of minutes later, he was on the end of a pass from Bukayo Saka and Pepe did made no mistake in smashing the ball into the back of the net.
And he was at it again deep into injury time when he ran free after a pass from Joe Willock and squared it to Lacazette who finally ended his goal drought. This is the kind of performance that fans will have been wanting to see ever since the Ivorian arrived in the summer.
There’s so much technical quality in Pepe but he lacks consistency which is kind of understandable considering that it’s his first season in England and as if that wasn’t enough he has already been under three different managers with very different approaches.
It is tough for a young player to go through so many changes, but it’s encouraging to see him put in some fantastic performances and if he can keep up this level, he will be worth every penny Arsenal spent on him .
The North London club are still 7 points adrift of 4th-placed Chelsea who still have a game in hand. A Champions League spot is still far away, but at least they have resumed the League season on a bright note.
