Noni Madueke may not have the starting role he wants at Arsenal but his winning goal against Nottingham Forest showed why he is one of Mikel Arteta's valued "finishers". The England international scored a second-half winner to earn Arsenal a vital three points in their defence of the Premier League title. Madueke has started just one top-flight game this season, a 2-1 win over Leeds in the Gunners' last Premier League outing before they beat Oliver Glasner's side on Sunday.
Arsenal's summer was dominated by talk of their search for an elite forward, with the left wing one of the positions identified. But after unsuccessful pursuits of world class players such as Vinicius Jr and Julian Alvarez, the only new addition in that position was Christos Tzolis, the winger brought in to replace the outgoing Leandro Trossard. Tzolis has started the season well and has been the first-choice winger for Arteta, meaning that Madueke and Eberechi Eze have had to be content with the majority of their minutes coming from the bench or in the Carabao Cup.
However, Tzolis is now out with a hamstring injury picked up while playing for Greece, and that has presented a chance for Madueke to show Arteta why he should be considering the former Chelsea man as much more than a finisher - that's a term Arteta uses for his substitutes. Madueke did well when starting against Leeds, praised by Arteta for being the best player at the club during the international break. The Arsenal boss said the winger "grabbed it (the start) with both hands".
The England international also started on the right wing, his more natural position, against Lille in a Champions League win on Tuesday, assisting the opening goal. Against Forest on Sunday, Madueke was introduced at half time by Arteta and said he took the manager's instructions with him onto the pitch. "Hang in there, stick to the game plan, go out there and try to attack the opposition, be dangerous, be yourself and be good defensively as well," Madueke said.
He scored with a deflected shot in the 80th minute when he cut in on his weaker right foot. "I'd beaten him on the outside a couple of times so I thought I'll come inside and just let rip," Madueke said. It's fair to say that the Arsenal fans have not always taken to Madueke since his move from London rivals Chelsea.
There was a 'No to Madueke' petition started when he joined the club and his performances have been criticised for being inconsistent. But since his £48.5m arrival, Madueke has helped the club lift their first title in 22 years and played a big part as Arsenal reached the Champions League final. Madueke scored eight goals and provided four assists in 43 appearances in all competitions last season, but questions over his end product remain.
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