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Eberechi Eze giving Gunners an unpredictable edge after gaining trust of Mikel Arteta

Ugly football? Little to get excited about? Someone best tell those Arsenal fans inside the Emirates Stadium.

Just a few days later, in the 2-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen, came a goal to rival that one, not for being quite so iconic a moment but for the sheer brilliance.

Leandro Trossard played the ball into Eberechi Eze's path, standing with his back to goal and 25 yards out. One touch with his left foot to swivel, a second with his right to absolutely marmalise a strike into the top corner.

It was brutal in its efficiency and its execution. The celebration was not quite so effortlessly pulled off, Eze striding away pinching the Adidas logo before looking down and swiftly switching to the Arsenal badge, but that can be forgiven.

Eberechi Eze scored a brilliant goal in Tuesday’s 2-0 win against Bayer Leverkusen

Bradley Collyer/PA Wire

Nobody in this Arsenal side hits the ball as hard and as cleanly as Eze. Declan Rice scored a lovely goal of his own against Leverkusen, bent into the bottom corner, but even he admitted Eze sets the standards.

Rice said: “There aren’t many players I’ve seen that can hit the ball like him. We need to get him on the ball more.”

Low blocks have been hard work for Arsenal in recent seasons but Eze has brought an unpredictable edge to their attack.

On a very basic level, he shoots. With Everton camped in deep on Saturday, Eze had seven shots in the match. Three more followed against Leverkusen, the most he has registered in a Champions League match.

Shots from distance create chaos for a packed defence. They can deflect to a team-mate or behind for a corner, which would suit Arsenal just fine. Or, if you strike a ball as well as Eze, they fly past the goalkeeper.

Particularly at this stage of the season. More than half of Eze's club goals have come from March to May. In that period over the past four seasons, he averages 0.5 goals a game. From August to February, it is just 0.19.

Eze inspired Crystal Palace to FA Cup glory last season and he is peaking at the right time again, just as trophy opportunities appear in front of Arsenal.

Eze’s goal helped Arsenal fire a message to their style critics

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That starts on Sunday in the Carabao Cup final against Manchester City and Eze has done all he can to keep his place at No10.

Kai Havertz is fit again and Martin Odegaard is in contention to return at Wembley, but it is clear Eze now has the trust of Arteta.

That was not necessarily the case earlier in the season. A mistake at Villa Park in December seemingly ended Eze's opportunities at left wing and minutes were limited too in midfield.

Between his two sensational north London derby performances, three months apart, Eze did not have a shot on target in the Premier League.

Key to gaining Arteta's trust has been his off-the-ball work. Eze now better understands the pressing requirements asked of him, an area that Odegaard has so often led from the front in.

"Without that, you have no chance to play in this team," Arteta said on Tuesday night.

"Because everybody does it, and that's the magic of it. He can do it. If he could not do it, I would never demand it.

"He can do it, he's willing to do it, and he's doing it better and better every day."

That is not the side of the game that Eze necessarily relishes, but adapting to those demands has allowed him to be trusted with the freedom to do what he truly loves.

Take risks, make the difference and have fun. This is his time of year and he can play his part in this being Arsenal's year.