ARSENAL GOAL HERO MIKEL MERINO DEDICATES HIS MATCH-WINNING DOUBLE TO HIS WIFE... AFTER ADMITTING HE 'FORGOT TO BUY HER SOMETHING FOR VALENTINE'S DAY'
- Mikel Merino netted a match-winning brace in Arsenal's 2-0 win over Leicester
- He dedicated the goals to his wife, who he forgot to buy a Valentine's Day gift for
- LISTEN NOW: It's All Kicking Off! Will Liverpool recover from Everton blow in season-defining week?
Mikel Merino netted twice for Arsenal in their 2-0 win over Leicester on Saturday, and dedicated his brace to his wife, whom he forgot to buy a gift for on Valentine's Day.
In the 69th minute, Mikel Arteta hauled off Raheem Sterling, moved Leandro Trossard to the left and sent Sterling’s replacement – midfielder Merino – to play up top.
Ethan Nwaneri delivered a sweet cross that Merino nodded beyond Hermansen from close range to open the scoring for the Gunners.
The Spaniard made it two with three minutes left as he found space at the far post to steer home Trossard’s cross from the left and secure the third brace of his career.
And Merino made sure to dedicate this one to his wife, joking that she would appreciate his match-winning heroics more than a bog-standard bouquet of roses or a box of chocolates.
'I think it's a good day to score because I forgot to give my wife something for Valentine's Day, so this goes to her,' the 28-year-old told TNT Sports.
'I think she would appreciate this more than a rose or some chocolates.'
Merino married his wife, Spanish model Lola Liberal, in January 2024, after they started dating in 2019 and made their relationship public on social media.
Liberal took to Instagram after Merino's comments, and expressed support for her husband with a trifecta of posts.
Under a photo of Merino celebrating at full-time, the WAG wrote: 'Best gift ever!!!' followed by a laughing emoji and two hearts.
She added two more photos of her husband celebrating his winner to her Instagram story, one also captioned with two heart emojis.
Six months after the couple tied the knot in January, Liberal was seen supporting Merino at Euro 2024.
The midfielder made seven appearances for Spain on their journey to victory in the competition, scoring one goal - a 119th-minute winner against Germany to book his nation a spot in the final against England.
With the win over Leicester, Arsenal moved within four points of table-toppers Liverpool, who host Wolves at Anfield on Sunday afternoon.
The Gunners have held their own in the title race without Bukayo Saka, who is set to miss a further eights weeks of action with his hamstring injury.
Merino noted that there is a long way to go before Arne Slot's side can think about engraving their name on this year's trophy, and that Arsenal must keep the pressure on.
'This is a long, long season, we have been talking about it from the beginning. This is a long run,' he said.
'We have to keep our foot on the gas and I think if we keep putting pressure on in every game, good things will come in the future.'
Read more 2025-02-15T17:08:03Z