Arteta hails English-Nigerian Eberechi Eze after stunning winner against former club Crystal Palace

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has hailed Eberechi Eze’s match-winning strike against Crystal Palace, saying moments like that show exactly why the club signed him.

Eze, who was born in England to Nigerian parents, scored a spectacular acrobatic goal to hand Arsenal a narrow 1–0 victory over his former club at Selhurst Park on Sunday.

The 27-year-old forward, signed from Crystal Palace in the summer, showed his class once again in a tense encounter decided by a single moment of brilliance.

Asked if this was the kind of impact that justified Arsenal’s investment in Eze, Arteta was emphatic.

“Yes, 100%,” he said. “To strike the ball in the manner that he did, very similar to where he did it last year, but against us when he scored from that corner.

“He’s got the ability to do that, especially against teams that defend deep and with great physicality.”

The Arsenal boss praised Eze’s calmness before facing his former club, noting that he showed no signs of pressure.

“He’s always super relaxed before games, always smiling. He has strong feelings and gratitude to Crystal Palace, and today was a very special game for him.”

Arteta added that Eze’s mentality was what separates him from others.

“That’s what big players do and he’s certainly a big player. Hopefully this gives him a big boost to create many more moments like this, because these are the moments that can define a season.”

Eze’s goal, his third of the campaign, extended Arsenal’s unbeaten run to ten games in all competitions and lifted them within two points of Premier League leaders Manchester City.

His performance also drew applause from Palace fans, who gave their former talisman a standing ovation at full-time.