EDDIE NKETIAH is used to proving people wrong - and the striker from south London is defying the doubters again to become the unlikely hero of Arsenal's title charge.
Nketiah has seized his chance after Gabriel Jesus suffered an injury at the World Cup. He was the match-winner in Sunday's 3-2 victory against Manchester United and has six goals in as many games.
His brace at Emirates Stadium took his tally for the season to nine and he is now Arsenal's top scorer.
Since the World Cup, Marcus Rashford is the only English player to score more Premier League goals than Nketiah. Keep up his red-hot form and he is in line for an England call-up in March.
His performances have taken many by surprise. The general view was that the Gunners' title bid would falter without Jesus in the team. In reality, it has gone from strength to strength and Arsenal are now five points clear of Manchester City, with a game in hand.
Arsenal have had to adapt the way they play without Jesus. If there was one positive from his three-month injury lay-off, it was that it happened two days before the squad flew to Dubai for a mid-season training camp at the start of December.
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Denne historien er fra January 24, 2023-utgaven av Evening Standard.
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