Micah Richards says Noni Madueke ‘looks like a new player’ after Arsenal’s 2-0 Premier League victory over Brentford on Wednesday.
Goals from Mikel Merino and Bukayo Saka helped the Gunners defeat the Bees at the Emirates and continue their push for the top-flight title.
Madueke started on the right wing and was involved in Merino’s goal with a backheel into the path of overlapping right-back Ben White, who provided the assist.
The 23-year-old, a £48.5m summer signing from Chelsea, was taken off just after the hour mark with his minutes being managed after a recent return from a knee injury.
Football pundit Richards has praised Madueke for his performance against Brentford and also spoke highly of White and goalkeeper David Raya.
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‘It wasn’t [the most scintillating team performance] but I thought the link up between White and Madueke down that side was was very good,’ Richards said on The Rest Is Football podcast.
‘Madueke looks like a new player. He came from Chelsea. A lot of question marks maybe because everyone expected [Mikel Arteta] to get a striker in and they went for him early doors, but he’s really playing well now.
‘Saka can actually have a rest knowing that Madueke can do the business. I thought White played really well in the overlap.
‘Great link up for the goal for Merino. Another injury though, wasn’t it? Cristhian Mosquera. Another injury.
‘But they’re just getting it done efficiently and that’s all they need to do. Raya pulled off one of the saves of the season.
‘Off the bar. In slow-mo it doesn’t look that great, but in real time [his] reaction was sensational.
‘But yeah, Arsenal are just getting it done. Brentford put up a really good fight.’
Shearer: It wasn’t comfortable for Arsenal
Fellow football pundit Alan Shearer, meanwhile, added: ‘I thought [Brentford] gave a good account of themselves.
‘Not many people thought they would go there and do anything and yeah,
I think Arsenal were… I mean it certainly wasn’t comfortable for Arsenal.
‘It was a hard earned three points for them. He made one or two changes, Mikel Arteta, but they’re the best team and they’re the most consistent.
‘They deserve to be at the top where they are and they’re the team that are going to take some beating, because even when they didn’t play that well, it it was just about getting the victory.
‘We know you can’t play well every game. Sometimes you’ve just got to get the result and that was the case for Arsenal.’