In what was a comfortable outing for the Gunners, Martin Zubimendi stole the show with a stunning brace. While the other goalscorer, Viktor Gyokeres, would be one of the first names expected to get on the scoresheet, Zubimendi surprised the Emirates with the nature and quality of his goals.
The former Real Sociedad midfielder only had 10 goals in top-flight football before today. Unsurprisingly, he was the Man of the Match, and in his post-match interview, he mentioned that scoring more goals was something he was actively working towards.
"Yeah I’ve been working really hard to score more goals, which is why I am so happy with my two goals today."
The Spaniard opened the scoring with a sumptuous volley from outside the box, which rocketed into the goal. When asked to describe the strike, he said:
“I was more focused on defending, because they were looking for a counter-attack. The ball came to my feet, and luckily it went in.”
Interestingly, Zubimendi, Mikel Merino, and Martin Odegaard have reunited at Arsenal, having played together at Real Sociedad. On his reunion with the two, Zubimendi mentioned it was indeed special:
“Especially with Merino, since I played much longer with him at Real Sociedad and less time with Odegaard.”
The 26-year-old’s second goal was again from an unlikely position, as he found himself at the end of a Leandro Trossard cross at the far post. A looping header sent the ball into the back of the net for his second and Arsenal’s third of the game, effectively sealing the three points. Zubimendi spoke about the importance of this win:
“It was really important as we came into this game with a really disappointing result against Liverpool, now we just have to keep going.”
As he was awarded the Man of the Match award, he was asked where he would keep it.
“I have a new house, there’s not much in it, so this is the perfect way to decorate it,” he replied.
Zubimendi arrived at Arsenal from Sociedad for £60m on a five-year deal in the summer. One of several exciting signings for the Gunners this season, the Spaniard will be hoping to finally help the team get their hands on the Premier League title.
