04 March 2023 , 20:17
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Reiss Nelson admitted he changed his mind before striking a dramatic late winner in Arsenal's 3-2 comeback win over Bournemouth on Saturday afternoon.
The Gunners found themselves two-nil down courtesy of a nine-second Philip Billing strike and Marcos Senesi's header - to the shock of the home supporters inside the Emirates Stadium.
However, Mikel Arteta's side pulled one back through Thomas Partey, before Ben White equalised with his first Premier League goal for the Gunners. As the game drew to a close, it looked as though the Cherries were going to hold out for a terrific point - up until substitute Nelson turned up to the party.
In the 97th minute, the ball dropped to Nelson on the edge of the box, before he lashed a terrific effort into the top corner beyond a helpless Neto. After the game, the Hale End youngster spoke to the media and explained his strike and why he made the decision to shoot from range.
"It dropped onto my right," Nelson told BBC. "I wanted to hit it with my laces on my right but I saw the defender coming out, so I decided to shift it onto my left and then just had to hit through it, aim for the top bins - something like that! I’m just happy it went in - I'm delighted with it.
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"When the ball came out to me I was thinking 'please give me one chance'. I'm buzzing, really happy. I controlled it with my right foot and it came onto my left. We need moments like this if we want to go all the way.
"We're not looking at any other team at the minute. We are focusing on ourselves. We will keep going day-by-day, game-by-game. As an Arsenal fan, I'm just delighted with the result."
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Reiss Nelson scored the winner for Arsenal (Getty Images)It was a result that moved the Gunners five points clear top of the Premier League table after Manchester City reduced the deficit with a 2-0 win over Newcastle in the early kick-off. Pep Guardiola would have been rubbing his hands together for the majority of the game at the Emirates, but his hopes of an upset were denied when Nelson struck - and Arteta cut a delighted figure after the final whistle.
The Arsenal boss said: "I'm incredibly happy. It was just mad. Those feelings of happiness and joy. It was a really special way and it took until the last second to earn it. I am really proud of them [the players].
"They never gave up. There is nothing like sharing those great moments with your people. I'm so happy for him [Nelson]. It's just another game, another three points. To win three games in a week [ Leicester, Everton, Bournemouth] is very important. We want to stay there [at the top] for as long as possible. There are still a lot of games to play but that’s the beauty of it."