‘Special’ Reiss Nelson Impressed Mikel Arteta In 2-0 FA Cup Win

Mikel Arteta was full of praise for Reiss Nelson after 2-0 victory over Portsmouth.

The Gunners secured their spot in the final 8 of the FA Cup after beating Pompey at Fratton Park.

Nelson assisted both the goals which were knocked in by Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Eddie Nketiah. It was overall a pretty drub evening for the Gunners, seeing how they struggled against League One opposition early on in the game.

Nelson, who has struggled to win minutes recently, was one of the more prominant performers on the pitch. He went past players at will and looked like adventurous than usual.

“It’s a difficult place to come but I have faith in these kids,” Arteta told BT Sport. “They always respond and I always knew they would do that.

“They have to learn from the difficult moments and manage them but they have the talent and desire and look how hard they work. The clean sheet is really important and we defended set-pieces much better.

“We have pace in a few players up front. Reiss [Nelson] is a special player and can eliminate players one on one. He’s been out for a while but he’s back now and he showed what he’s capable of doing.

“I’m really enjoying working with this group of players, It’s a process. I know everything has to be today or yesterday but in football it doesn’t happen like this. I’m seeing a lot of things I’m happy with but there is a lot of room to improve.”