Pundits heap praise on Eddie Nketiah after he his brace in Arsenal’s 3-0 win over Oxford
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‘You’re behind him to finish those chances’: Ian Wright praises Eddie Nketiah after he bagged a brace in Arsenal’s 3-0 win over Oxford United in their FA Cup third round clash
- Arsenal advance to the fourth round of the FA Cup after beating Oxford
- Eddie Nketiah was instrumental in the win by scoring two well received goals.
- The striker was highly praised by experts for his performance in the tie
- Karen Carney said there was no “better finisher” at Arsenal after her performance
Eddie Nketiah has been widely praised by pundits after his performance in Arsenal’s 3-0 win over Oxford United in the FA Cup third round.
The forward scored a brace after Mohamed Elneny’s first goal at the Kassam Stadium.
He conceded both goals brilliantly, coolly rounding the keeper to score the first before adding a soft strike over the keeper to seal a place in the fourth round.
Eddie Nketiah scored a double as Arsenal beat Oxford in their FA Cup third round tie
He took both goals extremely well, including a classy strike on the keeper to make it 3-0.
It comes at an important time for Arsenal, as Gabriel Jesus’ absence through injury has left many questioning whether they have the depth to sustain a title challenge.
Ian Wright praised the striker after the match. He told ITV: ‘Eddie has that quality, you’re backing him to finish those opportunities.
‘They have faith in him, it’s sad to be without Gabriel Jesus, but we know what Eddie is capable of. He will feel better for the next game.
The double took Nketiah’s season tally to seven and there is a feeling he may be delivering on his promise after becoming England U21’s all-time leading goalscorer two years ago.
Ian Wright praised the 23-year-old, saying ‘you’re behind him to finish those opportunities’
Karen Carney was also impressed by the 23-year-old, adding: “Anywhere in that 18-yard box, I’d back him all day.” He needs to get more involved, but in the 18-yard box there is no better finisher in Arsenal.”
Clinton Morrison largely agreed with 5 Live, but felt it couldn’t rival Jesus.
‘Credit to Eddie Nketiah. Many people have been saying can he fill the shoes of Gabriel Jesus? I’m not saying he can because Jesus is a fantastic player, but he’s doing well right now and he’s scoring a lot of goals,” he said.
Speaking after the game, Nketiah reflected on a tough but rewarding night for the Gunners, telling ITV: ‘We knew it wasn’t going to be easy. Hard ground, good crowd and the court was hard.
Arsenal will face a tough test on the fourth day of the Cup when they face Manchester City
“We had to level up, we weren’t good enough in the first half as we picked up the intensity in the second and we were rewarded.”
On his two goals, he added: “I took the first one nicely and the second one was a nice little bump so I probably enjoyed it more.”
Arsenal’s victory means they will advance to face Manchester City in the next round. Facing the tie, the striker continued: ‘All the players want to play, whatever the competition, I always want to play. It’s not the best draw, but we’re ready, we’ve got a lot of games going on, so we’ll get up for them.’