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Ivorian Nicolas Pépé scoring his second free-kick with Arsenal against Guimaraes on 24 October 2019. Andrew Boyers / Reuters

In trouble since his arrival at Arsenal this summer, Nicolas Pepe saved the Gunners on Thursday 24 October in the Europa League by scoring twice against Vitoria Gumaraes (3-2). The Ivorian international striker, who has admitted difficulties in adapting to the Premier League, hopes for a better tomorrow after this big performance.

Arsenal has a new hero. A player able to get the club out of the doldrums. A man talented enough to offer the Gunners an unexpected victory in the last moments. Thursday, October 24, for his third match of the group stage in Europa League, the English club could not count on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The Gabonese, who is one of the nominees at the Ballon d'Or 2019 , was not even on the match sheet, because preserved.

But Nicolas Pepe was there. And it was, in the space of a quarter of an hour.

🌟 NICO 🌟 pic.twitter.com/C66iVvM0YS

Arsenal (@Arsenal) October 25, 2019

A first free kick saves

75th minute of play: Arsenal are led by his opponent, Vitoria Guimaraes, 2-1. It's bad for coach Unai Emery, not spared by critics in England. It remains a quarter of an hour of play and the coach decides to play his last card, his last replacement possible: the Frenchman Alexandre Lacazette, who resumes competition gradually after more than a month of absence due to injury, gives way his place to Nicolas Pepe.

The Ivorian recruited early August in Lille, however, is not in its best form, as he recognized himself early October . The striker struggled to adapt to the English game and scored just one goal and only two assists in 11 appearances. His failures in front of the cages did not fail to bring him sharp criticism from the tabloids and British consultants.

But in just five minutes, Nicolas Pépé manages to revive the flame in disappointed supporters and skeptics. First shot of brilliance in the 80th: on free kick, the Elephant equalizes with a strike wrapped in the small net of the impotent goalkeeper. Arsenal is already breathing better. And it's not over.

"His skill is amazing"

We play the 90 + 3rd minute when the Emirates Stadium exults for good. Again on free kick, Nicolas Pepe is a hit. This time, his shot from the left foot file in the skylight of the goalkeeper Joao Miguel, again forced to see the damage. It's hard for Guimaraes. Thanks to his "super sub" ("super substitute"), Arsenal snatch victory (3-2).

🎯 Pepe 80 '
🎯 Pepe 90 + 2 '

Matchwinner.

UEL #UAL pic.twitter.com/0iLn9LbFiV

Arsenal (@Arsenal) October 24, 2019

And it is difficult, in the wake of this unexpected success, to find many people to speak ill of the master artificer. For the anecdote, the last player to have scored a brace on a free kick in the Europa League is Luis Suarez ... in 2013, with Liverpool, facing the Zenith Saint-Petersburg.

Emile Smith-Rowe, the Gunners' 19-year-old striker, applauds his team-mate's performance: " He's getting better every day, he's got two incredible free kicks, we're so happy for him." Nico trains a lot to free kicks and penalties, I'm not surprised he scored two, his skill is amazing. "Unai Emery can blow. Pepe, the man of the match, offered them a little respite.

A "difficult" adaptation to a new football

In the columns of the Telegraph , the former player from Angers and Lille spoke about this arrival in England which turned out to be tricky. He admitted that the discovery of the Premier League was " difficult " for him. " It's a league totally different from Ligue 1, with a different intensity, I had to adapt quickly because the expectations were high, " he said. Expectations born of his performances in Lille, which earned him the Marc-Vivien Foé 2019 prize , and the record check of 80 million euros set by Arsenal, who had never spent so much money on a single player. The previous record was 63 million euros for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, bought at Borussia Dortmund early 2018.

Arsenal players congratulate their team-mate Nicolas Pépé, who has just given them the victory against Guimaraes on October 24, 2019. Eddie Keogh / Reuters

The first steps were tough, " but I still work hard to play well and adapt to the Premier League, " promises No. 19, which can count on his entourage, his teammates and his family. Physically, Nicolas Pepe also suffered. " I'm not at my best because I did not have a real preseason like the others, " said the one who played CAN 2019 in Egypt with Côte d'Ivoire.

In Lille, we have not forgotten that the first six months of the Ivorian, in 2017, were also very slow before he stacked the goals. The next meetings will indicate if the delicate passage is behind him and if the Grandpa machine is well started or if it still needs adjustments.