A section of the Arsenal faithful have heaped praise on Nicolas Pepe, who bagged his first club goal from open play against West Ham United on Monday night.
The Ivorian has been in-and-out of the starting lineup this term due to his struggles in the final third but he managed to shed the concern at the London stadium.
The Gunners failed to have a single attempt on target in the opening period and it seemed that they could be heading for another defeat as West Ham pounced on a defensive error to find the net.
However, the second half saw a much-improved display as Gabriel Martinelli bagged a crucial equaliser at the hour mark and in the next eight minutes, Pepe made the difference with his quality.
The 24-year-old managed just one shot of target but he made the most of that opportunity as he was able to beat goalkeeper David Martin with a sublime curled effort.
Shortly after, the winger contributed the ball leading to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s 11th goal of the league campaign and that sealed a comfortable 3-1 triumph in the end.
Following the game, a number of Gunners fans have expressed their delight over the forward’s showing on Twitter.
Here are some of the reactions…
So happy for Pepe man. Been trying hard all season. He's been unlucky at times but today was magnificent. Don't chat to me about him giving away possession, Alexis used to do that loads. Its a consequence of taking initiative and trying to make things happen.
— Sash ~ (@ltarsenal) December 9, 2019
I’m am delighted for Nicolas Pépé tonight. He deserved a night like that. A poor run of form which wasn’t helped by the system or his teammates’ form. Yet he took responsibility & publicly admit that it was down to him & that he needed to improve. Hopefully he can kick on now.
— Patrick Timmons (@PatrickTimmons1) December 9, 2019
https://twitter.com/Aubazettes/status/1204156685914386433
Pepe. Martinelli. Chambers. A win.
Glimmers of light. Something to be positive about. What a relief.
— gunnerblog (@gunnerblog) December 9, 2019
so happy for Pepe, after Creswell almost injured him, he came back and scored the winning goal, love him so much!❤️
— Eldarune ⚔ (FREE MINT ➡️ 4.20.2023) (@EldarunePlays) December 9, 2019
Backed him since he signed, never turned on him. Elite mentality, actual baller. Finally showing himself om confidence. Prem ain’t ready😎 The haters are not allowed back into Pépé FC pic.twitter.com/8acFqH8TnC
— 🤺 (@ILLBEWATCHINGFR) December 9, 2019
Pepe has not had much luck in front of goal this term and he has most often missed the target or seen the opposition shot-stopper denying him.
The strike against the Hammers should boost his confidence going forward and it will be interesting to see whether he can replicate the display against holders Manchester City this weekend.
