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Nelson's sublime hit completes Arsenal's comeback: Moment of the Weekend

Arsenal’s Reiss Nelson has been directly involved in more Premier League goals as a substitute than any other player this season -- three goals and two assists. Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

Non-stop action. Great goals. Controversies galore. Sensational passes. Unreal drama. European football rarely lacks for talking points after any given weekend of football, but with so much happening it can often be hard to focus on the biggest moments. ESPN India attempts to single out one moment from all the action across Europe's top 5 leagues (league action only) that lit up the weekend.

This weekend, despite plenty of deserving candidates, we pick Reiss Nelson's injury-time winner for Arsenal against Bournemouth in a 3-2 win that kept their five-point lead atop the Premier League in place.


All he did was jog away in calm celebration.

The rest of the 60,000+ inside the Emirates stadium had lost their collective minds. It's worth freezing the moment right after Reiss Nelson's 90+7th minute strike hit the back of the net because it's almost a renaissance painting:

There's Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard near the corner from where he delivered the ball, flat on his back, fists pumped and raised in celebration. Gabriel Magalhaes, who's collapsed to his knees, overcome by emotion. William Saliba, rushing towards the corner flag to 'Jamie Vardy' kick it alone. Gabriel Martinelli, inexplicably rushing to collect the ball out of the net, as if the score was still 2-2.

Ben White, yelling in celebration/retribution in Bournemouth keeper Norberto Neto's face. Jorginho, on the sidelines, rushing past stewards onto the pitch. Aaron Ramsdale, who's run the entire length of the field to be the first one to hug Nelson. Arsenal boss, Mikel Arteta, rushing down the touchline in celebration, even high-fiving a stray child who's run onto the pitch amidst the chaos.

All the important cogs of Arsenal's title challenge; all who collectively lost their marbles at what they just witnessed.

All he did was jog away in calm celebration.

Reiss Nelson is Arteta's last throw of the dice when he comes on, with Arsenal trailing 1-2 and having earlier witnessed their already threadbare forward line pick up another injury in the form of Leandro Trossard. A quick clasp of Nelson's cheeks by Arteta, pleading with him to stay wide, and the 23-year-old who's played a grand total of 64 minutes of Premier League football this season takes the field.

His second touch is an assist for Arsenal's equalizer, but fate has bigger things in store for him. Arsenal keep knocking at the door, with Nelson heavily involved in their best moves. Yet, Bournemouth hold firm.

In the seventh minute of injury time, Oleksandr Zinchenko's shot takes a deflection that earns Arsenal a corner. Odegaard wastes no time setting up, and like he's done all season long, spots Nelson in space on the edge of the box. He curls it right to his teammate.

Nelson chests the ball down, attempting to shield it towards his right foot, but Odegaard's put such spin on the delivery that it takes a bounce and turns towards Nelson's left foot. It's inviting, Nelson's eyes light up - there's only one thing on his mind. Time's almost standing still as two Bournemouth defenders close him down. Nelson pays them no heed, and the laces of his left boot connect in a smooth, almost orchestral motion. The ball arrows past a despairing defender and keeper into the net. Cue the pandemonium.

All he did was jog away in calm celebration.

From 0-2 down to a 3-2 victory with almost the last strike of the game - Arsenal had gone from watching their title challenge almost die to an improbable resuscitation from the unlikeliest of sources. It wasn't so unlikely once - the star of Hale End, Nelson was the crown jewel of the youngsters coming through.

He was Bukayo Saka before Bukayo Saka and often compared with his good friend from the neighbouring London estate, Jadon Sancho. Nelson had the world at his feet. Football had saved him from a potential life of knife crime, prison and drugs - the narrative for his ascendance to stardom was set. Yet, the final step never came.

Nelson struggled with every chance in the first team; the spotlight was a burden too difficult to bear. Loan spells and injuries curtailed his development and right when he found a semblance of form this season, his body let him down once more. Until Saturday, when with his weaker left foot, he righted the wrongs of his career.

If Arsenal do go on to win the Premier League title, many will point to this victory, when a Hale End product's last-gasp strike breathed life into their title challenge. It's arguably the best-ever moment in their current stadium's history - with those present noting their spot in North London had never been louder in such an eruption of joy.

And yet, all Reiss Nelson did was jog away in calm celebration - because his story isn't done yet.