Arsenal, Alexandre Lacazette, Nicolas Pepe (Photo by ANDREW BOYERS / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)
Arsenal fans still can’t agree on Nicolas Pepe somehow, but when he’s really in his element, nothing can stop him. And that counts for something.
As much as I think about Granit Xhaka being worth it, I don’t feel that doing the same for Nicolas Pepe is exhausting. Arsenal’s record signing has shared opinions this season, though he’s undeniably scoring more goals than anyone else on the squad.
Against Sheffield United, Nicolas Pepe was back in a FA Cup semi-final that felt like a Premier League game and was Nicolas Pepe. After stomping a little against Southampton despite an excellent solo performance against Brighton, Pepe was in control of Sheffield.
And what happens when Pepe is in control? You just get out of the way and let him control it. Pepe was so good that even Bukayo Saka couldn’t keep up. Everything flowed through Pepe’s side of the field, so the attack was better off.
Nicolas Pepe knows how to run the show
While the Gunners got going early, Pepe jumped into the spotlight after effortlessly taking the penalty home, almost doubled the lead minutes later, and came closer again halfway through.
Even if the attack didn’t flow through his side, the focus was on him. When Kieran Tierney drove down the left flank, he played the cutback for Pepe and ran across the gate box.
All eyes on Pepe.
But it doesn’t matter how many defensive eyes were on Pepe because he was too fast and too efficient to be suppressed. In this brilliant first half, he never lost possession of the ball. Not once. It was pure, undiminished attack brilliance, and that went well into the second half.
However, this is nothing new. This is what Pepe does when he’s really in control. And that happens much more often than he deserves. He takes complete control of the game and everything can go through him. Also successful. They know that getting Saka is pretty irrelevant is good.
While Pepe faded in the last 15 to 20 minutes of the game, his impact had already shaped the game. As he faded, Saka saw the opportunity to step into the spotlight and take over, but it was Pepe who had imprinted his skills on this match.
