“If Jesus wasn’t injured, i would have been on the bench with my talent wasting, i scored 3 goals and i dedicated to….”- Arsenal Legend Eddie Nketiah was practically in tears as he delivered a heartfelt interview following the recent terrible news in his family.
Eddie Nketiah’s heartfelt hat-trick homage following the Arsenal star’s family tragedy.
On Saturday, Eddie Nketiah was Arsenal’s hero against Sheffield United, scoring a hat-trick to help Mikel Arteta’s squad remain unbeaten in the league.
Eddie Nketiah of Arsenal dedicated his first Premier League hat-trick to his auntie, who died last month.
With teammate striker Gabriel Jesus missing due to injury, the academy product returned to the starting lineup against Sheffield United on Saturday. He broke the deadlock against the relegation rivals before adding Arsenal’s second and third goals, with Fabio Vieira and Takehiro Tomiyasu also scoring in a 5-0 win.
Nketiah’s treble makes him the fifth player in the Premier League this season to do so, joining Erling Haaland (twice), Son Heung-min, Evan Ferguson, and Olly Watkins. It also aided Mikel Arteta’s team in closing the distance on league leaders Tottenham, who defeated Crystal Palace on Friday night.
“It’s incredible,” Nketiah said after his hat-trick to Match of the Day. “It hasn’t been easy; I lost my auntie last month, so I’d like to dedicate these three goals to her.” Her family was present to witness this momentous occasion.”
“In these games, patience is more important than losing discipline.” It was a wonderful ball from Dec [Rice] and a lovely touch and finish from myself for the first goal.
“The second, I thought it was good to go, but it’s never nice to see the purple VAR screen appear.” The third was terrific, with a great strike and a wonderful occasion.”
Nketish could have added a fourth goal had he taken the penalty granted to Arsenal in the closing five minutes. Instead, he sent the ball to Vieira, allowing the Portuguese great to score his first goal in almost a year.
“My first instinct was to grab the ball and go, but Fabio won it and it was a good moment,” he said. “It’s all about working as a team.” It was his time to shine, and he took advantage of it.”
Nketiah’s goals were his first since a 2-2 tie with Fulham in August, and he now has five for the season. It also contributed to Arsenal’s unblemished start to the season, however their 24-point total is three fewer than they had at the same point last season.
Arsenal return to action in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, when they travel to West Ham. Then comes a trip to St James’ Park to face a Newcastle team that has won its previous three home league games without allowing a goal.
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