Alioski’s Nicolas Pepe comments dredged back up following viral moment between pair in Arsenal’s meeting with Leeds
Last Updated: February 14, 2021 10:20 pm
Recent comments on the part of Leeds United midfielder Ezgjan Alioski, regarding Arsenal’s Nicolas Pepe, have taken centre stage online once again this evening.
Auba on fire
Mikel Arteta’s men are of course currently locked in Premier League action with the Whites at the Emirates.
Arsenal headed into proceedings desperate for a bounce-back result, having seen their European hopes take a major hit over the last couple of weeks.
Consecutive defeats at the hands of Wolves and Aston Villa saw the Gunners slip into the bottom half of the English top-flight table, behind even their opponents this evening.
As things stand, though, Arteta and co. look set to return to winning ways.
A scintillating opening 50 minutes on the part of the hosts saw them put no less than 4 goals past Leeds, courtesy of a Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang hat-trick, and rare Hector Bellerin strike:
🗣️ “That is classic Aubameyang!”
The Arsenal skipper fires the Gunners ahead against Leeds
📺 Watch on Sky Sports PL
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📲 Download the @SkySports app! pic.twitter.com/LWmRuTAt2V— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) February 14, 2021
Leeds, however, to their credit, have since provided the club’s fans with a glimmer of hope, after netting a pair of their own 2nd-half goals, through Pascal Struijk and Helder Costa.
Alioski and Pepe cross paths
Relentless goalscoring action aside, though, as outlined above, it is in fact a moment on the sidelines in north London which has since grabbed the headlines across social media.
The incident in question saw Leeds midfielder Ezgjan Alioski hauled off by Marcelo Bielsa, before making his way down the touchline amid pouring rain.
At the time, the Peacocks were trailing by 4 goals to nil.
In turn, as Alioski approached the bench, he happened to pass none other than Arsenal attacker Nicolas Pepe:
Alioski walks past Pépé after being subbed whilst his side lose 4-0. Next time humble yourself before you open your mouth. pic.twitter.com/oliM4bsLy3
— TikiTakaConnor (@TikiTakaConnor) February 14, 2021
Not sure why this moment proved such a significant one? For fans of the Gunners in particular?
It is due to the fact that, just days ago, Patrick Bamford spoke out regarding his teammate’s excitement at being handed the chance to face Pepe once again, after the Ivorian was given his marching orders for what was deemed a headbutt on Alioski during the reverse meeting between the sides back in November:
‘Do you know what, he said in the changing room the other day: ‘I can’t wait for Sunday’.’
‘I was like, ‘Why?’ He was like, ‘I’m playing against my mate Pepe again’. I was like, ‘No way!”
Mikel Arteta explains decision to bench Rob Holding for Arsenal vs Leeds
Two key moments vs Man United showcased exactly why Mikel Arteta was hesitant to utilise Maitland-Niles in Arsenal’s midfield
Arsenal betting odds, next game:
Leicester vs Arsenal odds: result, both teams to score, correct score & goalscorers
| Leicester vs Arsenal Result/Both teams score | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|
| Leicester | 15/4 | 10/3 |
| Arsenal | 9/2 | 4/1 |
| Draw | 10/3 | 9/1 |
| Leicester vs Arsenal Goalscorers | First | Last | Anytime |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jamie Vardy | 13/8 | 13/8 | 1/1 |
| Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang | 2/1 | 2/1 | 13/10 |
| Alexandre Lacazette | 9/4 | 9/4 | 7/5 |
| Eddie Nketiah | 13/5 | 13/5 | 8/5 |
| Folarin Balogun | 10/3 | 10/3 | 11/5 |
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| # | Team | MP | D | P |
| 1 | Manchester City FC | 25 | 35 | 59 |
| 2 | Manchester United FC | 25 | 21 | 49 |
| 3 | Leicester City FC | 25 | 17 | 49 |
| 4 | West Ham United FC | 25 | 10 | 45 |
| 5 | Chelsea FC | 25 | 16 | 43 |
| 6 | Liverpool FC | 25 | 11 | 40 |
| 7 | Everton FC | 24 | 4 | 40 |
| 8 | Aston Villa FC | 23 | 11 | 36 |
| 9 | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 24 | 10 | 36 |
| 10 | Leeds United | 25 | 0 | 35 |
| 11 | Arsenal FC | 25 | 5 | 34 |
| 12 | Wolverhampton Wanderers FC | 25 | -6 | 33 |
| 13 | Crystal Palace FC | 25 | -14 | 32 |
| 14 | Southampton FC | 25 | -12 | 30 |
| 15 | Burnley FC | 25 | -12 | 28 |
| 16 | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 25 | -6 | 26 |
| 17 | Newcastle United FC | 25 | -17 | 25 |
| 18 | Fulham FC | 25 | -11 | 22 |
| 19 | West Bromwich Albion | 25 | -36 | 14 |
| 20 | Sheffield United FC | 25 | -26 | 11 |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 17 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 15 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 13 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 13 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 13 |
| Calvert-Lewin, Dominic | Everton FC | 13 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City FC | 12 |
| Gundogan, Ilkay | Manchester City FC | 11 |
| Wilson, Callum | Newcastle United FC | 10 |
| Watkins, Ollie | Aston Villa FC | 10 |
| Rashford, Marcus | Manchester United FC | 9 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City FC | 9 |
| Barnes, Harvey | Leicester City FC | 9 |
| Zaha, Wilfried | Crystal Palace FC | 9 |
| Maddison, James | Leicester City FC | 8 |
| Ings, Danny | Southampton FC | 8 |
| Lacazette, Alexandre | Arsenal FC | 8 |
| Aubameyang, Pierre-Emerick | Arsenal FC | 8 |
| Soucek, Tomas | West Ham United FC | 8 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 7 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bellerin, Hector | Arsenal FC | 0 | 8 |
| Gallagher, Conor | West Bromwich Albion | 0 | 8 |
| Lundstram, John | Sheffield United FC | 1 | 6 |
| Evans, Jonny | Leicester City FC | 0 | 7 |
| Egan, John | Sheffield United FC | 1 | 6 |
| Bissouma, Yves | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 1 | 6 |
| Milivojevic, Luka | Crystal Palace FC | 1 | 6 |
| Hayden, Isaac | Newcastle United FC | 0 | 7 |
| Grealish, Jack | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 6 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 0 | 6 |
| Hojbjerg, Pierre | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 0 | 6 |
| Xhaka, Granit | Arsenal FC | 1 | 5 |
| Maguire, Harry | Manchester United FC | 0 | 6 |
| Romeu, Oriol | Southampton FC | 0 | 6 |
| Luiz, Douglas | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 5 |
| Kante, N`Golo | Chelsea FC | 0 | 6 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 0 | 5 |
| Ward-Prowse, James | Southampton FC | 0 | 5 |
| Dallas, Stuart | Leeds United | 0 | 5 |
| Soucek, Tomas | West Ham United FC | 1 | 4 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 11 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 10 |
| Grealish, Jack | Aston Villa FC | 10 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City FC | 9 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 6 |
| Rashford, Marcus | Manchester United FC | 6 |
| Cresswell, Aaron | West Ham United FC | 6 |
| Digne, Lucas | Everton FC | 6 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City FC | 5 |
| Maddison, James | Leicester City FC | 5 |
| Firmino, Roberto | Liverpool FC | 5 |
| Ward-Prowse, James | Southampton FC | 5 |
| Werner, Timo | Chelsea FC | 5 |
| Raphinha | Leeds United | 5 |
| Robertson, Andrew | Liverpool FC | 5 |
| Shaw, Luke | Manchester United FC | 5 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 4 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City FC | 4 |
| Wilson, Callum | Newcastle United FC | 4 |
| Barnes, Harvey | Leicester City FC | 4 |
