William Saliba and Granit Xhaka react as Kai Havertz bags the winner in Arsenal 1-0 win v Brentford
|Arsenal secured a 1-0 win against Brentford away from home on Saturday, with Kai Havertz emerging as the hero courtesy of his 89th-minute goal.
The Germany international had been under pressure to justify the £65 million spent on him in the summer having bagged just a goal and an assist in 19 games across all competitions for the Gunners heading into the game yesterday.
Havertz admitted earlier in the week that it could take a while before he finally wins over the Arsenal fans having joined from a rival side, vowing to do so with goals and top performances.
The former Chelsea star has started delivering on his promise, earning all three points for the North London club yesterday to the delight of the travelling supporters.
Havertz opened his account in the 4-0 victory against Bournemouth in September, converting a second-half penalty, and it is safe to say Arsenal would have won the game comfortably without his goal.
However, he singlehandedly helped Mikel Arteta’s men secure their ninth win of the league campaign, which sent them to the top of the table.
The 24-year-old took to his Instagram account to celebrate the hard-earned victory afterwards, and the likes of William Saliba and former Arsenal duo Granit Xhaka and Folarin Balogun took to the comment section to reply.
Havertz will hope he can become consistent in front of goal going forward, and getting into good positions as seen yesterday will go a long way in helping him.
He last bagged double digits in league goals in a single season during his days at Bayer Leverkusen and will be desperate to replicate that form in the Arsenal colours.
The midfielder came off the bench to replace Gabriel Martinelli in the 79th minute against the Bees, and he made a huge impact.
Playing in attack can bring the best out of Havertz as Arteta has largely deployed him in the middle of the park so far, but he may need to settle for a substitute role if he wants to be featuring upfront given the current crop of options the Gunners manager has in the position.