Arsenal got the better of Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Wednesday, by virtue of injury-time goals from Nicolas Pepe and Gabriel Martinelli. In a match shadowed by controversial VAR decisions, the Ivorian’s display proved to be a shining light for the Gooners.
The 25-year-old winger opened the scoring with ten minutes left in the first half. The goal was a thing of beauty, Saka and Tierney combined neatly on a one-two and the Scot picked out Pepe with his cross who volleyed home with his weaker right foot.
However, the Eagles got one back just around the hour mark as Benteke found the back of the net. With time ticking on, a draw seemed to be inevitable. However, that wasn’t to be the case as Martinelli restored the Gunner’s lead in 91st minute.
Odegaard put in a delightful cross to the back post where the Brazilian squeezed the ball home from a close-range effort. Palace pushed for a late equaliser but it was Arsenal who scored again through Pepe.
Unlike his first goal which was a team effort, this was a moment of sheer individual brilliance. The Ivorian wriggled past Palace defenders and curled it into the far post. This ensured the North London club will take home all three points.
Pepe’s performance caught the eye of fans, who were all praise for the winger. Here are some of the tweets:
Nicolas Pepe has two goals on the evening. Wilf Zaha has three dives. Think #Arsenal made the right decision.
— The Short Fuse (@TheShortFuse) May 19, 2021
19 G/A for Nicolas Pépé in back to back seasons.
As impressive as we would like? No.
Better than some give him credit for? Absolutely.
— Patrick Timmons (@PatrickTimmons1) May 19, 2021
https://twitter.com/JamesStatman/status/1395116068239183872
Nicolas Pepe's celebrations are cold man plus he's probably the best London winger on his day
— Trey (@UTDTrey) May 19, 2021
When Nicolas Pepe is on it his ability is an absolute joy to watch
— LJRC (@LiamCrook1) May 19, 2021
#AFC | Now that's the Nicolas Pepe I want to see a lot more.
Quick, direct, brave and composed. He has the ability.
— Chris Davison (@cdavison_afc) May 19, 2021
Nicolas Pepe has been excellent tonight, maybe Arsenal got the right winger in the end
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) May 19, 2021
What a world class player. Nicolas Pépé in the Arsenal away kit is the one. He always gets a goal contribution when wearing it. #BestFootballOnDStv
— FELIX (@FellMentKE) May 19, 2021
The Ivorian was signed from Lille for a whopping $87 million on the back of an incredible season in Ligue 1. It is evident that the pressure of this price tag has had an adverse affect on his performances last season.
However, this season has been a breath of fresh air for the winger, scoring 14 and assisting 5 goals. That is a goal or assist every 150 minutes he has played.
Roy Hodgson’s Selhurst Park farewell ended on a disappointing defeat as the 73-year-old is set to step down as the Eagle’s manager. The Gunners will remain in ninth spot in the League but they are just a point behind their North London neighbours, Tottenham Hotspur, who sit 7th.
Arsenal host Brighton on Sunday, which will see the return of fans to the Emirates. If the Gunners win and other teams drop points, they could finish seventh which would get them into the Europa Conference League.
