“Aura” - Barcelona star reacts to Mikel Merino after he scores in Arsenal’s win over Chelsea

Barcelona midfielder Dani Olmo has taken to Instagram to send a one-word message to Arsenal star Mikel Merino following his match-winning display against Chelsea. The Spain international scored the only goal of the game to help the Gunners claim a narrow 1-0 win over their London rivals on Sunday (March 16).

Former Real Sociedad man Merino was deployed at centre-forward for the game against Chelsea, as he has been used since February, delivering a goal in the first half. With 20 minutes on the clock, the makeshift striker expertly steered a looping header beyond the despairing dive of Robert Sanchez for the game's only goal.

After the match, Merino took to Instagram to share a picture of himself celebrating his strike, and Dani Olmo reacted the the post. The Barcelona man simply commented "Aura" to symbolize the impact that his compatriot is having at the Emirates Stadium.

Dani Olmo's comment on Mikel Merino's Instagram post

Mikel Merino has now found the net six times for Mikel Arteta's side this season and has proven to be a useful addition time and again. The 28-year-old's impact has also been noticed by his international teammates, one of which is Olmo, and celebrated accordingly.

Dani Olmo was a reported target for Arsenal in the January transfer window after his messy contract situation with Barcelona. The Premier League side, alongside the likes of Manchester City and Manchester United, considered signing the 26-year-old midfielder on loan until the end of the season.

Arsenal boss praises Merino impact in win over Chelsea

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has heaped praise on makeshift striker Mikel Merino after he scored the winner for the Gunners against Chelsea on Sunday. The former Real Sociedad man headed home the game's only goal following a corner from Martin Odegaard to seal three important points.

Arteta spoke at his press conference after the game about how receptive Merino has been to being a striker for the side. He pointed out that the 28-year-old has helped restore belief among their fans that they have the capacity to put the ball into the back of the net.

The Spaniard told the club's official website:

"The way he's approaching it is incredible. He wants to understand everything and to learn from it. He's very critical of himself all the time. The reality is that he's winning matches for us. The value of it, it was a big match."

"In the end, we win the game because of that goal. Very happy with his contribution. We worked on something similar [from the set-piece] but that. To be fair it was a different kind of finish planned. It will generate belief in the team again, in the stadium with the crowd, that we can score. It's something we've been missing when we were so prolific."

Mikel Merino has now scored the winner in two Premier League games for Arsenal, against Leicester City in February and Chelsea this month. With Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus expected to remain out until the end of the season, he may keep his place in attack for the remainder of the campaign.