"Shows up when you least expect him to" - Arsenal fans hail 'incredibly good' star for showing in 3-0 win against Slavia Praha

Arsenal fans online have heaped praise on Mikel Merino for his ‘incredible’ showing during their Champions League match against Slava Prague on Tuesday, November 4. The Spaniard put in a good shift despite playing in an unnatural position, scoring a brace to inspire the Gunners to a 3-0 win.

Merino was deployed as a makeshift striker against the Czech Republic side after summer signing Viktor Gyökeres was substituted at half-time of Arsenal’s 2-0 win against Burnley on Saturday, with manager Mikel Arteta saying the Swedish striker ‘felt something.’

Arteta’s side dictated proceedings from the off but couldn’t find the breakthrough until the 32nd minute. Bukayo Saka’s cross into the opposition box was met by Gabriel Magalhaes’ header but subsequently struck Lukas Provod’s hand before it went out of play.

Referee Aliyar Aghayev awarded the Premier League leaders a penalty after reviewing the incident on the pitch-side monitor. Saka assumed responsibility and smashed the ball home from the spot, becoming the first Arsenal player to score in four consecutive UEFA Champions League away games.

Merino doubled his side’s advantage less than one minute after the restart. Timed at 45:35, his strike is the quickest that Arsenal have scored after halftime in Champions League history. In the 68th minute, Merino scored his second of the night after goalkeeper Jakub Markovic flapped at Declan Rice’s cross.

In addition to scoring a brace, Merino was the highest-rated player among all players from both teams, with a match rating of 8.7, according to Sofascore. After the match, fans singled him out for praise on X, with one writing:

“Mikel Merino shows up when you least expect him to. What a player🔥.

Another tweeted:

“His finishing is actually nuts and bro's practically undefendable in the air. Great positioning, creates chances, can defend. What exactly can Mikel Merino not do? While the media were chasing the trouble makers, Arteta may have unearthed the demon.” “Merino is incredibly good,” a fan chimed in. “Merino is genuinely a better finisher than many strikers, he’s absolutely nuts,” another claimed. “Absolute credit to Mikel Merino, comes in and does a good job,” another added.

“It was a good chance for him to perform” – Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta on playing Mikel Merino as center forward when there are injuries

Mikel Merino’s brace against Slavia Praha was his first-ever UCL brace, making him the first Arsenal player to score 10+ goals this year. In the post-match press conference, Arteta was asked why he often uses Merino as a makeshift striker whenever his primary striker is injured.

“Yeah you have to invent options. Obviously, Mikel hasn't played there before in his career, from the way he reacted in that position. It was a good chance for him to perform, Arteta said:

On the match, Arteta added:

“We were emotionally controlled. I think the margin at the end looked comfortable but I dont think it was a comfortable game at all.”

Arsenal are one of the two teams with a 100 percent record in this season’s Champions League, having won all their four matches.

Edited by Ezekiel Olamide