LONDON — Mikel Arteta said that Noni Madueke is reaping the rewards of his dedication after his starring role in a 1-0 win over Hull that stretched Arsenal’s Premier League lead to six points.
Madueke has made the most of Bukayo Saka’s injury absence in recent weeks and played a key role in the only goal when the Gunners finally broke down Hull 18 minutes from time.
The England winger’s shot was spilled by Konstantinos Tzolakis and Martin Odegaard swept home the rebound.
“He’s a great example for the rest of the group because before the first international break he wasn’t playing,” said Arteta.
“What he did is, instead of going on holidays, he went to Portugal and got somebody to train with him and got in better shape and condition and immediately he got back into the rhythm.
“You can see now he is full of confidence and trying things and getting past players, and he’s impacting games with goals and assists, and we are very happy with that,” Arteta added according to AFP.
Arsenal were again guilty of a lack of killer instinct, with a single goal to show for 21 shots.
But a seventh clean sheet ground out a ninth win in 10 Premier League games this season.
Arteta’s men have won all five league games since losing to Brighton just before the last international break.
“I think it is time to praise my players. What they have done, not only tonight but after the international break, is remarkable because of the games,” added the Spaniard.
“We kept generating chances, the final pass was missing or the last shot was blocked. We said at half-time, if this is the case, it will go all the way to full time, but at some point, it would come.
“We have some great moments; we need to put the chances we are creating against the opponent into the scoreline. That is what we need to improve.”
