Alex Iwobi proved he is still a Gunner at heart with a classy message to his former club after Everton defeated Arsenal on Saturday afternoon.
The Toffees caused one of the upsets of the season by beating the Premier League leaders in Sean Dyche’s first game at the helm. James Tarkowski nodded in a Dwight McNeil corner on the hour mark to send Goodison Park wild and boost Everton’s hopes of avoiding relegation, dealing Arsenal a blow in their pursuit of the title in the process.
Iwobi, 26, had a fine game on the left flank, causing Ben White plenty of trouble as Mikel Arteta’s men were outclassed for the first time in months. The Nigeria international spent 15 years on Arsenal’s books, joining in 2004 while he was still in primary school.
The winger would go on to score 15 goals in 149 appearances for his boyhood club, helping them win the FA Cup in 2017 before moving to Merseyside in a transfer worth £34million two years later. Iwobi took to social media after Everton’s morale-boosting victory to post: “Nice To See Some Old Faces, Even Better To Win!”
He also shared an Instagram story containing pictures of him in Arsenal training and embracing Arteta after Saturday’s fixture with the caption: “Big respect!” Although Iwobi left Arsenal a matter of months before Arteta succeeded Unai Emery at Emirates Stadium, he broke into the Gunners first team in the 2015/16 season, meaning he was briefly teammates with the Spaniard.
His touching message shows he still has plenty of love for the club where he came through the academy ranks before establishing himself as a regular on the Premier League and international scenes. Iwobi’s goal against Arsenal was only his first of the season but he has racked up six assists and is sure to play a major role in Everton’s survival bid.
While the Toffees’ performance impressed Dyche, the Englishman admitted the hard work has only just begun. In his post-match press conference, he said: “There is a reality to how I work. It’s not that I don’t enjoy it – I do enjoy it. I’ll be driving home thinking, ‘This is a really good start for us’, but I’m not naive – I’ve been in it for a long time.
“That win doesn’t solve everything. We’ve got to put layers and layers and layers on top of that. It’s a great start point, of course. Arsenal is flying but the next win isn’t guaranteed because of it and I’ve told the players that already. I’ve told them to come in ready to start again on Monday, to keep working and to keep improving.”