Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino said his match-winning brace against Leicester was a late Valentine’s Day present for his wife. Merino was the hero for Arsenal on Saturday afternoon, coming off the bench to score both goals in a 2-0 win at Leicester. The midfielder excelled as an emergency striker and helped the Gunners cope without the injured quartet of Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli and Kai Havertz.
The win means Arsenal have closed the gap on Premier League leaders Liverpool, who play Wolves on Sunday, to four points. And after Merino told TNT Sports: “It is the first time I have scored a brace coming off the bench as a striker. “I forgot to give my wife something for Valentine’s Day so this goes to her. I think she will appreciate this more than a rose and some chocolate. “Today was a tough game. But I think these games are the ones you need the spirit. Games like today are really good for the squad.”.
Merino was thrown on as a striker with just over 20 minutes to go after Mikel Arteta got creative in his search for an attacking solution. “He (Arteta) told me to come in as a striker this morning,” said Merino. “We were talking about it a little bit with one of the assistants. It is the first time in my career that I’ve played that position. “He told me to go with my strengths and luckily I could help the team with two goals today.”.
