Molde striker Leke James has described Arsenal centre-back David Luiz as ‘an intelligent player’ after he gave him a tough time in Thursday’s Europa League outing at the Emirates Stadium.
James was introduced as a 74th-minute substitute for Erling Moe's side in their 4-1 defeat to the Gunners.
He struggled to make an impact in the encounter, however, despite his confrontation with Luiz, he revealed they made up at the end of the encounter with a conversation.
“I didn't get too much engagement, but David Luiz was difficult to beat for the few minutes I played, he's an intelligent and very experienced defender,” James told Goal.
“I had a conversation with Luiz at the end of the game. He likes me and my style of play, and he gave me some words of encouragement.”
Martin Ellingsen gave the visitors an early lead at the Emirates Stadium with his long-range strike in the 22nd minute but Arsenal equalised on the stroke of half-time after Kristoffer Haugen turned the ball into the back of his own net.
Arsenal turned the game around after the restart with Sheriff Sinyan scoring another own goal in the 62nd minute while Nicolas Pepe's 69th-minute strike and Joe Willock's goal in the 88th minute completed the rout.
Thursday’s result was Molde's first loss in the competition after victories against Rapid Wien and Dundalk, and James believes they have learnt their lessons after making 'a lot of mistakes'.
“When we scored the first goal, we were hopeful that we could do more but one of my centre-backs got injured so he couldn't continue the match, it's part of it and one or two mistakes,” he continued.
“It was a good experience for me, playing against one of the best teams in the world. We made a lot of mistakes which we need to correct but there are some positives we took away from the game. Arsenal are more experienced than us but at the end, it was a good game against a strong team.”
The Nigerian forward has been in fine form in the Eliteserien this term with nine goals in 16 games as Molde aim to retain the top-flight title they clinched last season.
When asked about his lack of goals in the Europa League, the 28-year-old who is yet to start a game in the competition, said; “The selection process could be a part of it, but I can't give that as an excuse. As far as I get some minutes in the game, I try to do my best.
“My target is to score as many goals as possible to help the team because that's what strikers are known for. I always want to do better in every season by beating my previous records. I also want to play in the biggest stage of football.”
Molde were on course to play in the Champions League this season but they lost to Hungarian club Ferencvaros on away goals in the play-off round (the last stage in the qualifiers).
“It was very painful and I had to forget it because we were very close to the group stage,” James said.
The Kaduna-born star is focused on maintaining his impressive form in the Norwegian top-flight when second-placed Molde host Kristiansund for their league fixture on Sunday.