Arsenal hero Mikel Merino dedicated his two goals to his wife after bagging a brace during the Gunners’ Premier League victory over Leicester on Saturday. The Spain international scored the only goals of the game as Arsenal moved to within four points of table toppers Liverpool.
Merino was introduced to the action with just over 20 minutes remaining and was used as a makeshift striker after his side had failed to break the deadlock.
He opened the scoring with a fine header 12 minutes after coming on, before sweeping in a second just before the end.
After the match, Merino was asked by TNT Sports whether he could feature as a striker more regularly following his impact in the east Midlands.
And he explained: “I don’t think so to be honest. 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.”
Arsenal are down to their bare bones in attack, with Kai Havertz set to miss the rest of the season after injuring his hamstring during the Gunners’ mid-season trip to Dubai.
Gabriel Jesus has already been ruled out for the rest of the campaign after sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament injury during his side’s FA Cup clash with Manchester United last month.
And Bukayo Saka is also sidelined with a hamstring issue and may not return until April, with 17-year-old playmaker Ethan Nwaneri impressing against the Foxes on his fourth Premier League start.
Discussing his role as a striker, Merino went on to explain: “He (Mikel Arteta) told me to come in as a striker this morning. 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.”
And turning his attention to Nwaneri’s performance, the 28-year-old added: “He is an amazing player. Every time I do an interview you guys ask me about him. We have to keep the foot on the gas and if we keep doing this job then good things will come in the future.”
