Arsenal manager praises Mikel Merino's performance

Mikel Merino has been pushed into the striker role following injuries to Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus and other attacking players. Mikel Merino has played in the striker position in each of the last six games.  

Mikel Merino has settled into his new position, scoring his fifth goal of the season with a header to secure three points against Chelsea, and after the game manager Mikel Arteta praised the player's attacking performance.  

Mikel Arteta said: "It's very demanding for Mikel Merino, even physically, we ask him to do things he has never done before. It is undeniable that he works hard every day, he is very willing to learn and give his best for the team.  

"Mikel Merino always learns from challenges and explores in different situations. So it's really something to learn from."  

"I liked the attitude of this team from the beginning, they were aggressive, both with and without the ball. We scored and had a lot of chances but unfortunately we didn't take them.  

“Defensively we barely conceded a goal, which was really impressive. Offensively, we could have scored more goals because we had some spaces that we could have scored, but we didn’t finish. To sum up, it was a very competitive game and we did have a few good performances, but probably should have had more.”