Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah has now revealed why he let Fabio Vieira take a penalty against Sheffield United.
Eddie Nketiah was in fine form at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday. He scored his maiden Premier League hat trick as Arsenal thrashed Sheffield United.
With Arsenal 3-0 up, and Nketiah having bagged all the goals himself, they were awarded a penalty. Many in the stadium will have expected the 24-year-old to step up and take it himself. Had he done so, and scored, he would have achieved a feat not managed by an Arsenal player for fourteen years.
Instead, though, the Hale End academy graduate elected to let Fabio Vieira take the spot kick. The Portuguese midfielder had been fouled in the first place to win the penalty. He stepped up confidently and stroked the ball home straight down the middle of the goal.
Nketiah has now revealed why he handed the chance to score to his teammate. As quoted by Goal, the once-capped England man said after the match, “I was going to take it – I wanted to take it. I always want to get more goals. Fabio came to me and said he wanted to take it. He won the penalty as well. He’s expecting a little one and it was a really good moment for him to get on the scoresheet and dedicate it.”
“I’m a team player – I’d scored a hat-trick so I could allow other players to get in on the act. He took the penalty and scored, so we’re happy.”
Should Eddie Nketiah have taken the penalty himself?
Whilst Nketiah’s decision is admirable, and reflects well on the sense of unity and team spirit that Mikel Arteta has cultivated at the club, there are those who would want to see a more ruthless streak from the player.
Nketiah had the opportunity to achieve something very rare in scoring four Premier League goals in a single match. He also earned the right to take that chance on the basis of his performance. The best strikers all have a certain level of self-serving ego, that drives them to score as many goals as they possibly can. This decision raises concerns that Nketiah perhaps lacks an element of that killer instinct.
On the other hand, however, he may have made the best choice for the team as a whole, which Arteta may value above all else.
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