Nketiah's hat-trick helps Arsenal win big

Striker Eddie Nketiah contributed three goals in Arsenal's 5-0 win over Sheffield Utd in round 10 of the Premier League on October 27.

Nketiah took less than an hour to complete his first Premier League hat-trick. There were chants of "Eddie" throughout the match, especially after his long-range strike made it 3-0 in the 58th minute. Gabriel Jesus, who had been injured and given Nketiah a starting role, also applauded his junior. Thanks to Nketiah's brilliance, Arsenal are now just two points behind leaders Tottenham.

Nketiah kisses the ball after completing his hat-trick in the 58th minute. Photo: Reuters — Nketiah kisses the ball after completing his hat-trick in the 58th minute. Photo: *Reuters*

His skill and confidence, especially on the first and third goals, suggested that Nketiah could play a key role in Arsenal's attack for the rest of the season. The 24-year-old opened the scoring with a delicate touch in the 28th minute, taking the ball past college friend Auston Trusty and then past goalkeeper Wes Foderingham. For the third, Nketiah collected the ball from Emile Smith-Rowe and fired a powerful shot from outside the box to complete his hat-trick.

In between the two goals, the English striker also seized the opportunity early in the second half, swinging his leg to shoot into the roof of the Sheffield net from a corner kick. Nketiah's three goals helped Arsenal play like a stroll in the rest of the match. The home team's superior strength helped them add two more goals thanks to Fabio Vieira from the penalty spot and Takehiro Tomiyasu also from a corner kick.

Sheffield are the only team yet to win in the Premier League this season. What happened at the Emirates explains that. At Arsenal - where Sheffield have not won since 1971 - the visitors huddled in defence from the start.

The tactic remained unchanged as Sheffield fell behind by one, two and then three goals. Arsenal, despite leaving captain Martin Odegaard and making five substitutions from the Sevilla side, still dominated. The hosts had 67% possession and eight shots on target. Sheffield did not have a single shot on target and had an expected goals (xG) of just 0.03.

With 24 points after 10 matches, Arsenal is second in the table behind Tottenham - a team that is also unbeaten like the Gunners. Sheffield is still stuck at the bottom of the table with only one point. In the next round, Sheffield will return to their home field to host Wolves while Arsenal will be away at Newcastle.

Line-up

Arsenal (4-3-3): Raya; White (Tomiyasu 66), Saliba, Kiwior, Zinchenko; Smith Rowe (Vieira 73), Rice (Elneny 89), Havertz; Saka (Nelson 73), Nketiah, Martinelli (Trossard 66).

Sheffield Utd (4-5-1): Foderingham; Bogle (Baldock 71), Trusty, Robinson, Thomas; McAtee (Fleck 71), Norwood, Ben Slimane (Osborn 59), Souza, Hamer (One 83); Brewster (Archer 59).

Vy Anh

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