Mikel Arteta turned to midfielder Mikel Merino in the hope of solving Arsenal's forward crisis against Leicester and the Spaniard repaid his manager with two goals

Arsenal: Mikel Arteta delivers verdict on Raheem Sterling form as he hints at Mikel Merino decision - Arteta considering whether to start Merino as striker after brace off the bench against Leicester

Arsenal match winner Mikel Merino has admitted it was a surprise to come on as a striker against Leicester City having never played in the position before.

Five of Arsenal’s crosses came during the 69 minutes before Merino was on the pitch and only one of those was successful. That was because Declan Rice was able to get on the end of one, though, and not Trossard - who was playing as the No9 at that point.

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Mikel Merino scored twice for Arsenal against Leicester on the weekend and got the Gunners out of a hole in their pursuit of the Premier League title

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.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has hailed midfielder Mikel Merino's impact off the bench in Saturday's dramatic win over Leicester City. The Gunners had struggled without a natural striker and looked set to slump to a bitterly disappointing draw,

David Raya has suggested that Mikel Merino is unlikely to start up front for Arsenal despite his match-winning heroics off the bench last weekend. Injuries to several key attackers have left Mikel Arteta’s side bereft of options in the final third,