Arsenal Vs Manchester City: 5 key players to watch

Arsenal Vs Manchester City: 5 key players to watch – FA Cup on the line

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Arsenal, Nicolas Pepe (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images) /

1. Nicolas Pepe

Arsenal have been waiting for a match-winning performance from Nicolas Pepe all season. There have been the odd outings. He was superb against West Ham United. He ran Luke Shaw ragged in a win over Manchester United. He was his most involved in the FA Cup quarter-final victory over Sheffield United. But that awe-inspiring moment is still absent.

While such expectations may seem unfair for any player to meet, and to some extent they are, in Pepe’s case, this is what Arsenal signed him to be. £72 million is no small outlay and Pepe arrived at the Emirates as the wide match-winner, someone who could create from nothing, who could beat two defenders and stick the ball in the bottom corner.

Pepe struggled against the other elite Premier League team, Liverpool on Wednesday night. He was unable to get into the game, and when he did receive the ball, he was unable to cause many problems, bar one encouraging dribble.

Next. Arsenal Vs Liverpool: 5 things we learned. dark

Arsenal need more from Pepe. What better match than an FA Cup semi-final against the best team in the world for him to finally deliver?