Arsenal picked up a 2-0 Premier League win over Brentford at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday.
The Gunners went into the London derby with a two-point lead over Manchester City with a game in hand.
They had to beat the Bees to restore their five-point advantage and did so with a solid performance at home.
Mikel Merino was the star of the show with a goal and a late assist for Bukayo Saka.
Shortly after the game, Merino posted on Instagram with the caption: ‘Loving The Emirates’.
Declan Rice described the Spaniard as ‘too good’ after his 13th goal of the year for the Gunners.
William Saliba was likewise impressed and hailed him as the ‘big boss’ for his fabulous showing.
Merino has proved a fantastic makeshift striker for the Gunners. He has eight goal contributions this campaign. Five of those have come in the last four league games, playing upfront.
The former Real Sociedad man has adapted brilliantly to a position alien to him at the start of the year, and he is doing well to keep Viktor Gyokeres and Gabriel Jesus out of the starting line-up.
Merino registered a goal and an assist yesterday, but also won seven duels with three recoveries and two tackles won. He received an 8/10 rating from football.london for his performance.
Arsenal will be back in Premier League action in Saturday’s early kick-off at Aston Villa. Unai Emery’s side have been in exceptional form and are presently six points behind the Gunners.
The Midlands outfit were languishing in the relegation places in the early weeks, but they have made a tremendous turnaround and find themselves third in the league standings.
The Gunners have just one victory in the last four meetings against the Villans. The club face a tough challenge and a win at Villa Park would send a huge statement on their title credentials.
