Moments before Merino was thrown on for the final 20 minutes at the King Power Stadium, he was collared by Arteta for some final instructions. It turned out to be a masterstroke. Merino’s two goals in the final 10 minutes secured a 2-0 win and, crucially, meant Arsenal kept pace with Liverpool in the title race.

Mikel Merino started Valentine’s weekend in the doghouse but finished it as the darling of Arsenal fans. Facing the heartache of dropped points against a team fighting relegation, Merino came off the bench to score twice and provide an answer to Mikel Arteta’s injury crisis in attack.

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