Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has praised Alexandre Lacazette for stepping up during 'difficult moments' for the club after the Frenchman scored a second half winner against Brighton on Tuesday night.
The striker came off the bench and scored after 21 seconds for the Gunners who have won their second consecutive game following the win over Chelsea on Boxing Day.
Lacazette now has three goals in three games for Arsenal but didn't start against Brighton at the AMEX Stadium, with captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang playing through the middle instead.
"I think this is what all the managers dream of," said Arteta after the game.
"He's full of confidence. Today he had a sore back and could not start the game, but he came on and won it for us."
"We need big players and the senior players to step up in these difficult moments and he's doing that for sure."
Lacazette described his goal as 'lucky' after scoring with his first touch and used his post-match interview to credit the Arsenal youngsters of Emile Smith Rowe, Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka who impressed once again.
Saka in particular stood out after making the assist for Lacazette's goal, and the former Lyon frontman said that he's enjoying playing alongside such highly-rated talents.
"Yeah, I’m really happy," he said.
"When you come off the bench you need to help the team, today I was lucky I could score with my first touch. It’s good for me, it’s good for the team as well.
"They make me feel old. Honestly, they are fresh so it’s really nice for me to work with them, to speak with them. They are curious, they want to improve, every day it’s a pleasure to play with them."
