Mikel Merino was Arsenal’s saviour against Leicester City but, it wasn’t only the Spaniard who caught Mikel Arteta’s attention.
Merino made Arsenal history by coming off the bench in a Premier League match and scoring the Gunners’ opening two goals.
Only Cesc Fabregas had done it before his countryman, making for a memorable afternoon for Merino, who was the match-winner.
While the Spaniard earned high praise, it was Ethan Nwaneri who picked up man of the match but, Arteta singled out another player as Arsenal’s true difference-maker.
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Mikel Arteta applauds Myles Lewis-Skelly moment vs Leicester
There were several winners and losers from Arsenal’s win over Leicester, with Nwaneri and Merino stealing the spotlight.
While the duo combined to ultimately win the Gunners the game, there was another pivotal moment in the contest that ensured a clean sheet was earned.
In the 72nd minute of play when the score was 0-0, Myles Lewis-Skelly pulled off a sublime clearance to ensure the score remained even.
Arsenal fans were in awe of Lewis-Skelly’s actions to deny Leicester a goal, somehow getting himself in a position to clear the ball for a corner.
Supporters weren’t the only ones to rave about the teenager’s contribution, as Arteta called the defender’s clearance ‘amazing’, highlighting it as a game-changing moment.
“To be fair, on the bench, I didn’t know whether he touched it or not, or it was a deflection from the cross,” Arteta told the media in his post-match press conference.
“When I watched it back in the dressing room, it was amazing, because it was one of the moments that could change the game and probably the result.”
Had Lewis-Skelly not cleared the ball and Leicester scored, the result could’ve been a disaster for Arsenal, with Merino thankfully scoring minutes after the Hale End graduate’s clearance.
Ian Wright in awe of ‘unbelievable’ Myles Lewis-Skelly
Amid the 18-year-old’s rise, there’s been no room for Riccardo Calafiori, telling of just how prominent Lewis-Skelly’s presence has become in the Arsenal squad.
It wasn’t only Arteta who patted his player on the back, as club legend Ian Wright waxed lyrical about the teen’s match-saving moment.
“Unbelievable. Massive,” Wright told Premier League Productions.
“Thomas Partey I don’t know, his pass was really so flippant there, but you see, he [Lewis-Skelly] kind of gets his foot stuck and then he gets another little touch but it’s the luck, it’s the luck you need at this stage.
“Look you get your foot stuck and then he digs it out, bam, he’s getting ready to tap that in so that is major us in winning this game, major.”
Lewis-Skelly’s ‘major’ moment of magic saved the game for the Gunners, who have the Hale End graduate to thank for the clean sheet at the King Power.
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