Reiss Nelson admitted he changed his mind before striking a dramatic late winner in Arsenal’s 3-2 comeback win over Bournemouth on Saturday afternoon.
Arsenal found themselves 2-0 down courtesy of a nine-second Philip Billing strike and Marcos Senesi’s header.
However, Artete’s side pulled one back through Thomas Partey. Thereafter, Ben White equalised with his first Premier League goal for Arsenal. As the game drew to a close, it looked as though the Cherries were going to hold out for a terrific point-up until substitute Nelson turned up to the party.
It was the 97th minute that the ball dropped to Nelson on the edge of the box. Nelson lashed a terrific effort into the top corner beyond a helpless Neto. After the game, the Hale End youngster spoke to the media and explained his strike and why he made the decision to shoot from range.
He said, “It dropped onto my right. I wanted to hit with my laces on my right but I saw the defender coming out. So I decided to shift it onto my left and then just had to hit through it, aim for the top bins-something like that. I am just happy it went it. I am delighted with it”.
“When the ball came out to me I was thinking ‘please give me one chance. I’m buzzing, really happy. I controlled it with my right foot and it came onto my left. We need moments like this if we want to go all the way.”
“We’re not looking at any other team at the minute. We are focusing on ourselves. We will keep going day-by-day, game-by-game. As an Arsenal fan, I’m just delighted with the result.”
The 3-2 win over Bournemouth moved Arsenal to five points clear top after Man City reduced the deficit with a 2-0 win over Newcastle.
Pep Guardiola would have been rubbing his hands together for the majority of the game at the Emirates, but his hopes of an upset were denied when Nelson struck – and Arteta cut a delighted figure after the final whistle.
The Arsenal boss said: “I’m incredibly happy. It was just mad. Those feelings of happiness and joy. It was a really special way and it took until the last second to earn it. I am really proud of them [the players].
“They never gave up. There is nothing like sharing those great moments with your people. I’m so happy for him [Nelson]. It’s just another game, another three points. To win three games in a week [ Leicester, Everton, Bournemouth] is very important. We want to stay there [at the top] for as long as possible. There are still a lot of games to play but that’s the beauty of it.”