Nicolas Pepe redeems himself in Arsenal’s Europa League win against Molde

A lot has changed in the last five days for Arsenal and Nicolas Pepe. The club’s record signing is yet to justify his price tag, but there are signs that things could soon get better for the player.

On Thursday, Pepe proved that he has everything it takes to become a world-class winger by inspiring the Gunners to a 3-0 win against Molde in the Europa League. The 25-year-old put in an assured performance and ticked all the right boxes against the Norwegian side.

For a player who came into the game on the back of an appalling display against Leeds United in the Premier League, this was quite the performance. During the game against Leeds, Pepe was labouring to make an impact and was even criticised by his manager for his sending off in the second half.

The Ivorian became the target of ridicule and abuse on social media after his red card caused Arsenal to draw with Marcelo Bielsa’s side. However, given a second chance by Mikel Arteta, Pepe completely redeemed himself against Molde.

Nicolas Pépé for Arsenal vs. Molde:◉ Most touches (80)◉ Most crosses (12)◉ Most touches in opp. box (11)◉ Most take-ons completed (9) (!)◉ Most shots (6)◉ Most chances created (4)= Most shots on target (2)Redeemed himself yet? pic.twitter.com/PfGiPcpPzM

— Squawka Football (@Squawka) November 26, 2020

Pepe was totally unplayable, creating several chances, opening spaces for his teammates and playing with a lot of energy. It was clear that Pepe wanted to prove a point and he did exactly that.

"I am really pleased. After the disappointment of something negative, you want to see a reaction and I could see from the first minute with his body language that he was ready to act," said Arteta after the game, as quoted by Goal.

"I think he had a great performance, he scored one goal and could have scored another one or two goals. He created some good moments in the game and worked really hard for the team, so I really like it, I am pleased with that," continued the Arsenal manager.

🏆 Your MOTM from last night's win... Nicolas Pepe! 🥳 #UEL pic.twitter.com/rh0oSX5yVo

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) November 27, 2020

Pepe’s career at Arsenal hasn’t quite gone according to plan but his talent is never in doubt. He’s the kind of player that can change games on his own but he still needs time to fully develop into a complete player.

His performance against Molde demonstrated why he still has a big role to play in Arteta's team. Compared to Willian and Arsenal’s other wingers, he is undoubtedly the most skillful and most productive player. However, he has to work on being less erratic and inconsistent during games.