Pepe strike named Arsenal Goal of the Month for October

Taiye Taiwo

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Pepe strike named Arsenal Goal of the Month for October image

Nicolas Pepe's strike against Dundalk has been named the best Arsenal goal for the month of October.

The effort was one of two goals scored by the Ivory Coast star last month, while the other - the match-winning strike in their 2-1 win over Sheffield United - was ranked second after a poll on the club website.

After goals from Eddie Nketiah and Joe Willock gave the Gunners a 2-0 lead at half-time, Pepe sealed the victory at Emirates Stadium with a curling strike immediately after the restart.

The Dundalk goal claimed 38 per cent of the total votes to win the honour while his solo strike against Sheffield United on October 4 gathered 23 per cent of the vote. Arsenal Ladies' Katie McCabe came third with her free-kick against Tottenham Hotspur.

Summer-signing Gabriel Magalhaes retained the Player of the Month award he clinched in September, as a reward for his fine defensive showing.

Pepe has scored three goals across all competitions for Arsenal this campaign, including two efforts in the Europa League.

Earlier this week, the Ivorian forward expressed his concern over a lack of playing time in Mikel Arteta's team.

My goal is to play more, to have a little more playing time," Pepe said .

"A player who plays is happy. For me, I would like to play a little more to find a smile again.

"He [Mikel Arteta] wants me to be 100 per cent focused during the 90 minutes of the match. Afterwards, I see during training that I will be a substitute the following weekend.

"But the coach speaks to me, he also has assistants who are there for that. But it is frustrating for any player to be on the bench.

"A super-sub role? The coach makes his choices. It's up to me to show him that I don't have that role."

Taiye Taiwo