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Alexandre Lacazette was impressed by former teammate Eddie Nketiah's performance in Arsenal's 1-1 Champions League draw against PSV Eindhoven on Tuesday (December 12).
The Gunners entered their final group fixture with a heavily rotated squad, having already secured qualification for the knockout stages. Nketiah, who is considered second-choice to Gabriel Jesus, started the aforementioned clash in the number nine position.
He managed to open the scoring on the night, driving a left-footed effort from just inside the box to find the corner of the net (42'). However, the north Londoners conceded early in the second half to a Yorbe Vertessen strike that comfortably beat Aaron Ramsdale (50').
Celebrating his first goal in the Champions League, the 24-year-old England international wrote on Instagram:
"1st UCL goal, looking forward to the knockout rounds!"
Lacazette, who shared the pitch with Nketiah 25 times during his spell at the Emirates, commented with four clapping and one fire emoji.
On the night, the attacker recorded an 81% passing accuracy, registered two shots on and off target, and won his only aerial duel. This season, Nketiah has made 22 appearances across all competitions, bagging six goals and three assists.
Although Nketiah enjoyed starts earlier in the season due to Jesus' absence, he is unlikely to be preferred in Arsenal's XI during the knockout stages of the competition.
Following Tuesday's result, Arteta and company finished with 13 points, at the top of Group B in the Champions League, four points ahead of PSV.
Mikel Arteta responds to question on Arsenal's chances of winning the UEFA Champions League
Mikel Arteta spoke to the press following Arsenal's 1-1 UEFA Champions League draw against PSV Eindhoven on Tuesday (December 12). The Gunners had already secured the top spot in the group and qualified for the next stage of the competition before this fixture.
Apart from this game which saw eight changes to the starting XI, the north London outfit dropped points only in the 2-1 defeat to Lens on October 3. When asked if his side could dream of winning the Champions League, Arteta said (via the club's official website):
"What I’ve seen is that we can compete at this level and we came top of the group which is very important. Especially the way we did it with a game in hand. We have to win game by game and we arrive again in February."
Up next for Arsenal is a challenging Premier League fixture at the Emirates against Brighton on Sunday (December 17). Arteta's men are placed second in the league standings, with 36 points, six places, and 10 points ahead of the clash with the Seagulls.
