Mikel Merino started Valentine’s weekend in the doghouse but finished it as the darling of Arsenal fans. Facing the heartache of dropped points against a team fighting relegation, Merino came off the bench to score twice and provide an answer to Mikel Arteta’s injury crisis in attack.

Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino said his match-winning brace against Leicester was a late Valentine’s Day present for his wife. Merino was the hero for Arsenal on Saturday afternoon, coming off the bench to score both goals in a 2-0 win at Leicester.

Mikel Merino, the unlikely striker, scored two goals off the bench cutting the gap to Liverpool to four points.