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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Joshua Smith

Arsenal news: Mikel Arteta's Eddie Nketiah verdict as Nicolas Pepe gets telling off

Mikel Arteta spoke glowingly about Eddie Nketiah after the striker fired the Gunners to a 2-1 Premier League win over Leeds United on Sunday.

Nketiah took advantage of Illan Meslier's bad touch to close down the goalkeeper and force the ball home for the hosts early on during Sunday's encounter. He then doubled the advantage with a well-taken finish from 12 yards as he turned home Gabriel Martinelli’s low cross.

Luke Ayling was then sent off following a VAR review for a two-footed lunge on Martinelli before Junior Firpo's flick-on from a corner was turned in by Diego Llorente at the back post. It wasn't all positive news for Arsenal, though, with coach Albert Stuivenberg giving Nicolas Pepe a stern telling off from the sidelines.

And Gunners boss Arteta has now spoken about Nketiah's impressive performance.

Here are Mirror Football's latest Arsenal headlines.

Join the debate! Should Arsenal try and keep hold of Eddie Nketiah this summer? Let us know what you think here.

Eddie Nketiah's brace fired Arsenal to victory over Leeds United (Getty Images)

Leeds talking points

Arsenal boosted their Champions League hopes with a 2-1 win over 10-man Leeds with Eddie Nketiah’s brace sending the visitors into the Premier League relegation zone.

Eddie Nketiah's goal was just enough to give Arsenal a 2-1 win over 10-man Leeds, putting them on the verge of ending a five-year wait for top-tier European football. Despite having Luke Ayling sent off before the half-hour mark, Leeds pulled one back through Diego Llorente but slipped into Premier League's bottom three after Everton beat Leicester City.

It was a game full of talking points, including Meslier's nightmare moment and Nketiah's brace.

Read the full story here.

Pepe's telling off

Arsenal winger Nicolas Pepe was scolded by assistant manager Albert Stuivenberg following the club's 2-1 victory over Leeds United.

Pepe was introduced in the 68th minute by Gunners boss Mikel Arteta to replace Bukayo Saka on the right-wing, but he had little influence on the game. And the forward infuriated Stuivenberg in the final minutes as Arsenal sat back to protect protecting their lead.

Leeds goalkeeper Illan Meslier came up from the back for a corner in the 90th minute, but following a poor corner Pepe picked up the loose ball on the edge of his own area. The Ivory Coast international then tried to cut back onto his stronger left foot rather than hit the ball with his right foot on the halfway line allowing Daniel James to make a tackle.

And Stuivenberg was left fuming at Pepe's inability to take advantage of the situation.

Read the full story here.

Arteta's verdict on Nketiah

Mikel Arteta says everyone at Arsenal "adores" Eddie Nketiah after the forward scored twice to shoot his side to a 2-1 win over Leeds United.

The Gunners face the very real prospect of losing Nketiah for nothing at the end of the season, with his contract at the Emirates set to expire this summer. But the England Under-21 star has forced himself back into Arteta's side in recent weeks and proved the matchwinner against Leeds.

And Arteta says the forward has been "doing what he has done all season" and explained "that’s why we adore him".

Read the full story here.

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