Nicolas Pepe must use West Ham performance to ignite Arsenal career

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Arsenal defeated West Ham United 3-1 on Monday night to finally hand their supporters something to cheer about.

Goals from Gabriel Martinelli, Nicolas Pepe and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang gave the Gunners a first win in eight – and a first for interim boss Freddie Ljungberg.

The catalyst for Arsenal’s victory was the performance of Pepe.

Aaron Cresswell was withdrawn early in the second half and the introduction of Arthur Masuaku allowed Pepe to run riot.

The 24-year-old netted his second Premier League goal during the night and proved a constant menace.

Pepe cost the Gunners £72 million (BBC Sport) in the summer. He signed from Lille with a reputation as one of the most exciting wingers in Europe.

It’s fair to say he hasn’t really showcased such talent to the Gunners supporters just yet.

Given his age, however, there is optimism that he can eventually live up to his excessive valuation.

Pepe has four goals and four assists in all competitions but it’s fair to say he needs to offer more.

If the winger could take a particular performance and bottle it, it would be his devastating 30-minute spell that secured a win for Arsenal at the London Stadium.

Last season Pepe scored 23 goals and registered 12 assists at Lille. Players don’t lose that sort of lethal instinct overnight and once he adapts to the Premier League he could really fly.

Quality

West Ham had no answer for the winger on Monday and his season must start now.

Given Arsenal’s predicament, they need their flair players to be on point and that includes Pepe.

Who Scored gave the 18-cap international a rating of 7.66 for his showing on Monday. He had a pass success ratio of 76% and completed three dribbles.

There is a long way to go for the club’s record signing but Pepe’s season must start now.