'Frightening' Eberechi Eze delivers magic moment for Arsenal

Until Tuesday Eberechi Eze's short Arsenal career had been most notable for him scoring five goals in two games against north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur, the club he almost joined last summer.

Often consigned to the bench, the 60 million pounds ($80 million) signing from Crystal Palace has given fleeting glimpses of his talent but as spring arrives, he is blossoming.

The England attacking midfielder demonstrated why Arsenal signed him on Tuesday, scoring a sublime opening goal in a 2-0 Champions League victory over Bayer Leverkusen that sent Mikel Arteta's side into the quarter-finals.

Receiving a pass from Leandro Trossard outside the penalty area, Eze's first touch set the ball up and after turning sweetly he lashed a right-footed shot into the roof of the net that visiting keeper Janis Blaswich barely saw.

Each replay was met with oos and aahs from the Emirates Stadium crowd and even his team mates looked stunned at the ferocity of Eze's thunderbolt.

"He's got one of the best shots I've seen left foot and right foot," Arsenal's other goalscorer Declan Rice said.

"We need to keep getting him in those areas, because honestly, he's frightening. There's not many players I've seen that hit the ball better than him."

Apart from his five against Tottenham and one against his former club Crystal Palace, Eze's only other goals so far this season were against lower-league Port Vale and Mansfield Town in the League Cup and FA Cup respectively.

But the 27-year-old is now becoming an integral part of Arsenal's attacking unit at just the right time as they close in on silverware in four competitions.

"We needed a magical moment from Ebs, a wonderful strike to give us the lead," Arteta said. "He is playing every three days, he has rhythm, has an understanding with the players and this (goal) is why he is here.

"I think he's building a better chemistry, a better understanding with all of them. We start to understand him as well much better. When you start to make a good game, a good action, an action like that when you're in the game, that lifts your confidence as well. That's what every player needs."

Arsenal face Manchester City in Sunday's League Cup final as they seek their first silverware since 2020 and Eze will hope he can have the same impact as in his first Wembley final.

Last May, his sumptuous goal against Man City in the FA Cup final earned Palace their first major trophy.

($1 = 0.7487 pounds)

(Reporting by Martyn Herman Editing by Toby Davis)