Nicolas Pepe has found life at Arsenal tough since his club-record £72million move to the Gunners from Lille.
The Ivory Coast international joined under Unai Emery in 2019 and the former Arsenal manager has let on that he was not first choice, with the Spaniard preferring a move for Wilfried Zaha.
Pepe went some way to making Emery regret those words on Thursday evening when the 25-year-old slotted home a penalty for ten-man Arsenal to give his side hope against Villarreal in their Europa League semi-final.
The Gunners were 2-0 down at the time and facing a huge battle to get back into the tie.
However, Pepe's away goal gives Arteta's team some hope to resurrect their disastrous season.
The Europa League is Arsenal's only route into European football next season following a horrendous Premier League campaign that sees the Gunners lying in tenth place.
Arteta's team could slip into the bottom half of the table before their next match Aston Villa playing on Saturday evening and sitting just one point behind the Gunners with a game in hand.
One positive in recent weeks has been Pepe's improvements, something that Arteta has highlighted following his Europa League penalty.
"‘I think he’s come a long way in the last few months," said Arteta. "His work ethic has been phenomenal and he’s deciding many more games and doing what he can do in the final third in a much more consistent way.
"So I’m really happy with his performances and now he needs to continue like this."
"Confidence in every player is crucial and every time you step on that field, if they feel secure, if they feel protected if they feel like they’re supported by their manager and their team-mates, it’s something that is crucial to be able to perform.
"Then with the things that he could do better, he’s doing much better with as well. But it’s all a mix that is reflected in his performance."
Arteta is working hard to provide Pepe with the confidence Emery did not have in the Ivorian. Pepe's willingness to take on the responsibility for the crucial away goal from the penalty shot is a clear sign it is beginning to return.
