Arsenal: Welcome to the real Nicolas Pepe

Nicolas Pepe scored two brilliant freekicks in Arsenal’s 3-2 win over Vitoria SC on Thursday night. This is the real £72 million match-winner that the Gunners thought they were signing in the summer.

When Arsenal splashed out a club-record £72 million on an attacking, potent, dynamic winger, there was an immediate excitement rippling through the fanbase. The position — and that style of position — was viewed as a crucial one, a major weakness of the team from last season. And this flashy new toy, one Nicolas Pepe, was seen as the solution.

Find the latest episode of the Pain in the Arsenal Podcast here — The Unai Emery One

But in his first few starts of the season, Pepe has struggled to truly establish his impact. While there were fleeting moments here and there, a body-shake to drop a defender to the floor, a flashing cross into the penalty area, a driving, surging run with power and pace and skill, on the whole, he lacked conviction, confidence, certainty and efficacy. This was not the Pepe that was billed.

More from Pain in the Arsenal

• 3 standout players from 1-0 victory over Everton
• 3 positives & negatives from Goodison Park victory
• Arsenal vs PSV preview: Prediction, team news & lineups
• 3 talking points from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park
• Mikel Arteta provides Gabriel Martinelli injury update after Everton win

On Thursday night, Arsenal needed a match-winner. 2-1 down. A little over 15 minutes remaining. A lack of inspiration and ingenuity. There was no better moment for Pepe to make his mark. And that is precisely what he did.

Stepping up over two freekicks, Pepe curled two beautiful left-footed efforts into the corner of the goal, the first a whipped effort, feigning a near-post pull and catching the goalkeeper out as he opened up the angle and arrowed the ball into the far corner; the second a floated, precise curled shot into the top corner to seal the victory with essentially the last kick of the game. Suddenly, this was the Pepe Arsenal expected.

It took five minutes for Pepe to score his first goal. In the proceeding ten minutes, he came to life. A brilliant dummied backheel and shot to create space in the penalty area. A body-swerve deep in his own half to break free of the high press. A flighted freekick to the head of Rob Holding. A flashed cross from the right flank. Pepe was thriving.

In his post-match press conference, head coach Unai Emery recognised the confidence-inspiring impact of the Ivorian:

"“Every player, usually, they need time to adapt. Pepe is a very good player and we believe in him, totally. The way he’s going, sometimes he feels better, sometimes it’s with more difficulty on the pitch. It depends on the opponent. He’s improving and tonight those two goals are really important for us first, and then secondly for him. He’s continuing the adaptation in his process and as soon as he can adapt, that’s better for us.”"

Pepe’s 15-minute cameo was a brief but brilliant illustration of what he is capable of. It was the type of match-winning display that £72 million buys you. And it begs the question: what does this mean for his future, both his immediate impact this season and his long-term prospects in north London?

This performance has been coming. The goals were bubbling under the surface. The confidence was brewing. Pepe just needed an explosion, an injection, a catalysing display. And might this have been it? The conviction, flair and speed he played with after the first goal certainly suggested it might be.

It has been a frustrating start to the season for Pepe. Flashes of excellence, yes, but a largely underwhelming product. But now he has come to the fore. Welcome, then, to the real Nicolas Pepe is here.