Arsenal fans say another player 'saved the day' v Leicester alongside Mikel Merino and Ethan Nwaneri
15/02/2025 20:15
Arsenal kept up the pressure on Premier League leaders Liverpool with their solid 2-0 win over Leicester City on Saturday.
Much of the pre-match discussion was centred around Arsenal’s injury crisis up front in wake of Kai Havertz joining Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus and Bukayo Saka on the sidelines.
Indeed, for much of the game, the Gunners were struggling to make an impact – until Mikel Merino came on for Raheem Sterling.
Merino got Arsenal up and running on 81 minutes with a powerful header before adding a second three minutes from time when he slotted home.
Arsenal fans were so impressed with Merino they compared him to Olivier Giroud.
Ethan Nwaneri also delivered a masterclass and was one of the standout players for Arsenal alongside Merino.
However, Arsenal fans were eager to praise another player for a key contribution which took place when the scores were still level.
Arsenal fans hail Myles Lewis-Skelly goal-line clearance
In the 73rd minute of the game, Leicester almost took the lead, only for Myles Lewis-Skelly to get a vital touch to usher Jordan Ayew’s cross out of play.
Bobby de Cordova-Reid was waiting to tap in and, were it not for Lewis-Skelly’s contribution, he likely would have put the Foxes 1-0 up.
“Guysm let’s talk about this Myles Lewis-Skelly clearance,” one fan wrote on X. “Before Mikel Merino stepped up to win the game for Arsenal, this boy saved the day for us.”
Another supporter said: “What a crucial clearance by Myles Lewis-Skelly, he literally saved the day for Arsenal.”
The praise for Lewis-Skelly kept coming, with one fan writing: “Nobody is talking about this clearance from Lewis-Skelly to still keep us in the game.”
Another said: “Lewis-Skelly clearance isn't talked about enough. Zinchenko would have not been aware that there's a player behind him.”
Another wrote: “Professional win for Arsenal. Superb from Merino, but the game-changing moment was that Lewis-Skelly clearance with Cordova-Reid waiting for a tap-in.
“If that goes in, different game.”
How Myles Lewis-Skelly fared against Leicester
Goal-saving clearance aside, Lewis-Skelly delivered a solid display overall, showing once again that he’s a player of the highest quality.
| Lewis-Skelly stats v Leicester | |
| Minutes played | 76′ |
| Clearances | 2 |
| Interceptions | 1 |
| Total tackles | 1 |
| Ground duels (won) | 6 (2) |
| Aerial duels (won) | 0 (0) |
| Touches | 57 |
| Accurate passes | 32/35 (91%) |
Lewis-Skelly, alongside Nwaneri, have an incredibly bright future ahead of them. They’re both still teenagers, yet they’re impressing at the highest levels of the Premier League.
