LONDON — Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta hailed Eberechi Eze‘s ability to create “magical moments” and said his wondergoal against Bayer Leverkusen showed exactly why they brought him to the club in the summer.
Arteta’s side defeated Leverkusen 2-0 on the night, and 3-1 on aggregate to tee up a Champions League quarterfinal clash with Sporting CP. Eze opened the scoring for Arsenal with a wonderful goal in the 36th minute, while Declan Rice followed it up with another stunning effort in the second half.
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It was a near-perfect night for Arsenal as they progressed in the competition, and the post-match focus was on Eze. He joined Arsenal from Crystal Palace for £67.5m in August and has nine goals and six assists across 43 appearances so far this term.
On Tuesday night, Eze got the breakthrough with his first Champions League goal. It was a stunning strike. After Arsenal had peppered the Leverkusen goal with all manner of efforts, Eze picked up the ball on the edge of the box, teed it up for himself and then smashed home a half-volley to give Arsenal the lead.
“We started the game so well,” Arteta said. “Their keeper kept their team in the game and we needed a magical moment from Ebs.
“He’s playing every three days — he has rhythm, and understanding with his teammates. Especially, he’s putting in a lot of activity, with and without the ball, and in the spaces he moves, the purpose on the ball and it’s the reason he’s here to create those sorts of moments.”
Arteta said Eze’s prolific form is a result of a growing chemistry and understanding with his teammates and also the staff and players understanding Eze’s game better.
“When you start a good game and good actions that win the game, it lifts your confidence and that’s what every player needs,” Arteta said of Eze. “I’m comparing the minutes he’s played in his career, he’s much higher now than any other season, that’s the consistency he’s showing, he’s fit. He’s got a lot of minutes in him but he’s handling the pressure, the situation and expectation very well.”
Arteta hailed Rice’s performance as “immense” as the player deals with a relentless fixture schedule while Arsenal compete in four competitions.
“I’m shattered, it’s non stop,” Rice said on TNT Sports. “We’re in all the competitions still so it’s been every three days since October. We deal with it the best we can but it’s difficult. We find ways to win and it’s all good. Everyone asks where I get my energy from. I just get this second burst of energy.”
On Eze, Rice said: “There aren’t many players that I’ve seen that can hit the ball like him. We need to get him on the ball more.”
And as for Eze himself, he’s turned attention quickly to Sunday’s Carabao Cup final against Manchester City, as Arsenal seek to end their six-year wait for a trophy.
“We know that at this stage, it doesn’t matter who you face, it’s going to be tough and difficult,” Eze said on TNT. “But we have a game on Sunday, so it will be good to get some preparation in.
“We want to do well and get those trophies, it’s been our goal since the start of the season. We’ll keep pushing and working but, God willing, it will come through.”
