Arsenal 3-2 Vitoria SC: 3 Reasons why the Gunners completed an improbable comeback | Europa League 2019/20

#1 Nicolas Pepe announces himself in an Arsenal shirt

Pepe (R) turned the game on its head with two wonderful free-kicks

Over the summer, Arsenal took countless football fanatics aback when they hatched a plan to sign Nicolas Pepe, a highly sought-after winger who had been on the radar of quite a few top European clubs.

Consequently, his acquisition was greeted with extraordinary positive furore as Gooners braced themselves for an exciting front trio of Alexandre Lacazette, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Pepe. However, the Ivorian failed to hit the ground running, meaning that several fans were left questioning if the forward was worth all the hype and of course, the money.

Additionally, a string of poor displays against Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur stoked the fire of Pepe not being capable of carving a niche in the Premier League. Yet, on Thursday, the Ivorian quelled those fears to an extent as he came off the bench and inspired an improbable comeback.

Throughout his stint on the pitch, the forward was a bundle of energy and looked extremely sharp. His first real contribution came in the 80th minute though, when he curled in a sumptuous free-kick from the right-sided channel.

A few minutes later, the Ivorian repeated the dose, albeit from a slightly different angle. While the forward went for the far post for his first goal, he struck a sublime near-post free-kick for his second, thereby showcasing the various strings to his bow.

Thus, in a 15-minute cameo, Pepe had reminded the world of his abilities and his hunger to succeed on the continental stage. And, though he still has many peaks to scale before justifying his hefty transfer fee, he wouldn’t really mind performances of such an ilk.