Having failed to leave Arsenal on loan before the end of the January transfer window earlier this week, Reiss Nelson was provided with some much-needed minutes for the club's Under-23s side on Friday evening.
The winger, who was closely linked with a return to Germany or a switch to the Championship ahead of Monday evening's 11pm deadline, was named in the Gunners' starting line-up for their clash with Chelsea's Under-23s at Meadow Park, the home of Boreham Wood FC, in their Premier League 2 encounter.
Nelson was handed a start alongside the likes of Tim Akinola, Ben Cottrell and Folarin Balogun, who was handed the captain's armband by Under-23s chief Steve Bould.
Despite having entered the clash with the Blues youngsters with form in their sails - winning five of their last six league matches - the Gunners fell behind just past the ten minute mark when Thierno Ballo swept the ball home into the far corner.
However, the Gunners were able to draw themselves level just under 20 minutes later through Nelson. The winger won a free-kick on the edge of the box, dusted himself down and curled home a powerful right-footed effort into the top corner, leaving Ethan Wady no chance in the Chelsea goal.
It was a sublime free-kick from the youngster, as he sent a timely reminder to Mikel Arteta of what he is capable of producing.
With the free-kick soon shared on social media, Arsenal supporters soon caught sight of what the former Hoffenheim loanee had done, sparking a wave of appreciation posts.
Here, football.london has taken a quick look at what some Arsenal fans have had to say in response to the winger's sublime strike.
Nelson's exploits, however, did not have Bould's team level for too long, as Chelsea restored their lead just moments later. Marcel Lewis picked up possession, motored forward and tucked the ball into the bottom corner, meaning the Blues went into the half time break leading 2-1.
You can follow all of the action from Meadow Park by accessing our live blog by clicking here.
Regardless of the outcome of the contest, Nelson will be delighted to have got some much-needed minutes under his belt, with his last senior appearance for the Gunners' first-team coming almost a month ago, playing against Newcastle United in the FA Cup third round.
The winger has racked up a total of nine appearances for Arsenal this season, scoring one goal, which came in the 4-1 win over Rapid Wien in the UEFA Europa League.
Having produced the goods for the Under-23s, Nelson will now be hoping to try and force his way into Arteta's plans.
