Mertesacker thanks 23-year-old Arsenal player after goal this season

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Per Mertesacker has thanked Reiss Nelson for scoring potentially the biggest goal since the Emirates Stadium opened with his winner for Arsenal in their dramatic win over Bournemouth in March.

Arsenal continue to have their Premier League title hopes in their own hands. The Gunners sit top of the table and they will lift the trophy for the first time in 19 years if they win all of their remaining games.

Of course, they go into Sunday’s game with West Ham off the back of a stunning draw at Liverpool. And the heroics of Aaron Ramsdale in the latter stages will be remembered as a key moment in the title race if Arsenal go on and lift the title.

Mertesacker thanks Nelson for Bournemouth goal

But Ramsdale is not the only one to have that defining moment this term. Another player who snatched the spotlight and potentially wrote their name into Arsenal folklore is Reiss Nelson.

Nelson has struggled to play more than a peripheral role for the Gunners this season. The 23-year-old has only made four substitute appearances in the Premier League this term. But one of those definitely led to one of the moments of the season.

It was Nelson’s brilliant strike which completed the comeback as Arsenal fought back from 2-0 down to beat Bournemouth 3-2 last month.

It was a moment which sent the Emirates into a frenzy. And when it was suggested that Nelson had possibly scored the biggest goal the stadium has seen, Arsenal’s academy manager Per Mertesacker claimed that he would go along with that.

“Yeah, I agree,” he told Sky Sports. “I was hugging Liam Brady and he was kind of Hale End again. It was very emotional. And he created that moment, so thank you Reiss for that.”

There are moments in title races which are never forgotten.

For a neutral, the moment Marc Overmars scored at Old Trafford seemed pivotal in 1998. Meanwhile, everyone remembers Ruud van Nistelrooy missing a penalty or Thierry Henry flying through the Liverpool team in the 2003/04 season.

Arsenal still need to get themselves across the line. But whatever happens, Nelson’s goal is always going to be special for many Gunners fans – just as it is for Mertesacker.