Arsenal boss Arteta was spot on about Nicolas Pepe

When the decision was made to trim six players from the senior squad across the January transfer window, everyone held a collective breath of excitement at who Arsenal would bring in to replace them.

The answer was nobody.

Chambers, Maitland-Niles, Mari, Aubameyang, Kolasinac and Balogun all departed in some capacity, with Mikel Arteta and co opting against filling those gaps in the squad. It means when all are fit, the Gunners’ entire first team group will travel to matchdays.

Two were missing from the 2-1 win over Wolves, with Takehiro Tomiyasu joined by Emile Smith Rowe in watching on from home. With already limited numbers, especially in terms of goal threat, that put a lot of pressure on those on the bench to contribute if the game state favoured the visitors.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta was dead right about Nicolas Pepe as Ivorian’s cameo secures dramatic 2-1 comeback win over Wolves

Up step Nicolas Pepe.

Arteta had said pre-Brentford that he’d seen a ‘different Nico’. Highlighting his energy, smile, attitude and application, the manager steeped praise on someone who hasn’t felt the warm embrace or love he thought he’d be showered in when he moved to north London. But these were exciting claims. Those you take notice of and eagerly awaiting seeing put into practice.

By the point the full-time whistle blew after 96 minutes, just 25 minutes after Pepe was brought on as a substitute, the Ivorian had won Arsenal the game. This was the most engaged Pepe we’ve possibly ever seen. There was a ravenous nature in him. A burning desire to sink his teeth into this game and leave his mark. Everything Arteta said about him was evident in his performance.

How you start a match, whether in the team to begin with or off the bench, gives you an indication of what is to come. Just like Gabriel looked shaky from the first whistle, Pepe killed a Cedric diagonal ball dead on his right foot with a man closing him in. A glorious cushion of the ball that set the tone for the rest of the night.

Capable of movements with the ball that no other player in the squad can contribute, his control evaded numerous Wolves players. He had players backing off him and scrambling back. There was fear of what he could produce. Good luck remembering the last time a defender truly feared taking Pepe on.

His goal was an exceptional demonstration of technique. That is the level of skill you would never hear the end of if it was Harry Kane or Dele Alli. But he also persisted with the ball at feet, tracked back when he had to and kept stretching the defence for a God Mode Martin Odegaard to pick out.

What is most remarkable of all is that he showed this sharpness and composure having played just 39 minutes of Premier League football since mid October. Not to mention he didn’t inform Arteta of his availability until 3AM in the morning as his partner had just given birth.

He came on and imposed himself on this game with the technical level everyone knows he has without needing five or ten minutes to get a feel for the pace. He was switched on from the moment he crossed the line, with his role in the winning goal the level of movement in those areas he so often lacks.

Arteta said he comes to training with a smile on his face. He played each one of those 25 minutes he had on the pitch as if he couldn’t stop smiling. There was a rhythm and an aura of enjoyment to how he played that we hadn’t seen this season. With him barely playing, and his future a hot topic of debate, to perform as he did deserves all the praise there is.

Pepe changed the game for Arsenal, and he might just have changed the course of the season too.