Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta unsurprisingly reserved special praise for Eddie Nketiah after the England international netted his first-ever Premier League hat-trick in Saturday's 5-0 pummelling of Sheffield United.
Nketiah was drafted into the first XI following the news that Gabriel Jesus would be sidelined for a few weeks with the hamstring injury he sustained in Tuesday's Champions League victory over Sevilla.
The Hale End graduate had previously filled Jesus's boots last winter as the Brazilian recuperated from a knee operation, and as was the case last season, Nketiah grabbed his opportunity with both hands in North London.
The 24-year-old broke the Blades' resistance with a deft touch and finish in the 28th minute before the floodgates opened in the second half, as he picked out the top corner following a Wes Foderingham error before taking home the match ball with a 25-yard piledriver.
Late goals from Fabio Vieira and Takehiro Tomiyasu complemented Nketiah's treble, which was only his second at senior club level after he also registered a hat-trick against Sunderland in a 2021 EFL Cup tie, and Arteta does not believe that the Englishman is the finished article just yet.
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"To me he is top level. He's started nine out of our ten Premier League games, so that tells you how much we trust him and the importance he has in the team," arsenal.com quotes Arteta as saying in his post-match press conference.
"I'm really happy for him, an academy player to experience a Premier League hat-trick. He needs to enjoy the moment, he fully deserves it, and hopefully there are many more to come.
"He's already playing for Arsenal. He's started games in the Premier League. He's already really good [and] he can be better. The best thing he's got, along with the talent, is his mentality. It's incredible. When he has that mentality and that talent, he's going to get much better."
The Spaniard does not believe that Jesus and Nketiah possess similar traits, though, adding: "I don't like comparing. I think they are very different. Eddie brings different qualities to the team.
"He's got an eye for goal. You look at the stats - he's remarkable. He needs minutes, opportunities and service. If he gets that, he's going to score goals, that's for sure."
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Arteta sprung a few surprises in his team selection for Saturday's game, namely the inclusion of Emile Smith Rowe in a Premier League starting lineup for the first time since May 2022 as Martin Odegaard dropped down to the bench.
The Gunners captain has been criticised for some perceived underwhelming displays in recent weeks, but Arteta revealed that the Norway midfielder had been playing through a "little thing", adding: "We went through all the minutes that everybody that has played in the last few weeks. He'd played an enormous amount of minutes.
"Martin has been carrying a little thing that wasn't very comfortable in the games. We have players with enormous quality and we have to trust them. We believe it was the right day to do so.
"I think he has endured a lot. The last couple of weeks have been really good for the team. He's playing every game, as you said, and he had a difficult period with the national team. It was a big blow for them with what happened - but this is football. He needs to get on with that. He's a massive player for us."
Still unbeaten in the 2023-24 top flight campaign, Arsenal have moved back into second place in the Premier League table, three clear of Manchester City having played a game more and two points worse off than Tottenham Hotspur.
Next up for Arsenal is an EFL Cup fourth-round London derby with West Ham United on Wednesday before a trip to Newcastle United on November 4.
Ben Knapton
