Kieran Tierney has hailed Alexandre Lacazette as the unsung hero of Arsenal’s fight to qualify for the Champions League.
The Gunners are in the driving seat to finish in the Premier League’s top four after beating Wolves last night with an injury-time winner.
The victory lifted Arsenal to fifth in the table and they are now one point off Manchester United in fourth, but with two games in hand.
Hwang Hee-chan gave Wolves the lead, but substitute Nicolas Pepe equalised in the 82nd minute before Lacazette’s strike right at the end was turned into his own net by visiting goalkeeper Jose Sa.
Lacazette has come in for criticism for his lack of goals, and his search for one since the turn of the year continues after last night’s winner was credited as an own goal, but Tierney has stressed the importance of the role the Frenchman is playing.
“He deserves that [goal] more than anyone tonight,” Tierney said. “The work that he puts in, that people don’t see, people don’t recognise away from the football club, is massive.
“It helps all the young boys, it helps everyone in the team. You can trust him. He’s the captain and he’s just an amazing guy as well. I am so, so happy for him tonight.
“It was a great result for us, a massive three points and a great performance as well. Of course, we went 1-0 down but we never gave up, we never stopped playing.
“We kept trying to play the right way and we knew and believed we’d get the chance to win the game.
“We need to aim as high as possible. That’s what we are doing. Results like this build momentum, they build team mentality and that’s what you want. We never stopped playing. We kept trying.”
