Mikel Merino absolutely loved what he saw from Eberechi Eze during Newcastle win

Add as preferred source on Google

There was a lot of talk about Eberechi Eze before Arsenal’s clash with Newcastle United, and a lot followed the contest.

Many couldn’t believe that Eze didn’t start against Manchester City, with all eyes on whether the attacking midfielder would start against Newcastle United. 

Mikel Arteta delivered the goods, starting Eze in the number ten role at St James’ Park, a change that bolstered Arsenal’s creative output. 

The Englishman will be unsure how he didn’t score in the first half, but that won’t bother him, as Mikel Merino and Gabriel Magalhaes got the job done late on. 

• READ MORE: Micah Richards was blown away by what he saw from ‘outstanding’ Arsenal star vs Newcastle

Mikel Merino loved Eberechi Eze’s celebration in Arsenal’s win against Newcastle

Late into the contest, Arteta showed how desperate he was to win the game, with both Eze and Martin Odegaard on the pitch in the latter stages.

Odegaard’s impact was acknowledged by Eddie Howe, but it was something about Eze that earned the attention of one of his teammates. 

After the win, Eze posted a series of photos on Instagram, one of which was him celebrating Merino’s equaliser with the midfielder. 

Merino commented on the post, “That’s passion right there,” loving the emotion in Eze’s celebration when the leveller was scored in the 84th minute.

For a boyhood Arsenal fan, there would’ve been no better feeling for Eze than playing 90 minutes and experiencing a late winner at a ground as tough as St James’ Park. 

Eze was one of Arsenal’s brightest sparks against Newcastle 

Though Merino loved Eze’s passion in his celebration, there was so much more to the playmaker’s afternoon than his joyous expression.

Nick Pope’s heroics against Arsenal denied the England international from scoring his first Premier League goal for the Gunners. 

The Newcastle shot-stopper was extremely strong until the latter stages, with Eze firing as many as four shots at his international teammate.

The summer signing was impressive in midfield, dictating the tempo, slowing things down where necessary and speeding them up with a single pass.

Eze completed all of his attempted dribbles and got stuck in defensively, winning three duels.

It was a rounded performance from the former Crystal Palace star, who appears to be fitting in seamlessly in N5.