Mikel Arteta made sure Kai Havertz took the applause from the delighted Arsenal fans following his dramatic winner away at Brentford.
The 24-year-old has went from zero to hero as he came off the bench to send the Gunners to the top of the Premier League table.
Arteta grabbed Havertz in a headlock before running to the away end to celebrate
Havertz has endured a difficult start to life in north London since swapping Chelsea for Arsenal in a £65million summer transfer.
Prior to Arsenal‘s trip to the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday, the Germany international had chipped in with just one strike in 19 games in all competitions.
But he was on hand to score arguably the club’s most important goal this season after heading home from a Bukayo Saka cross in the 89th minute.
And with the travelling faithful breaking into Havertz’s new song, Arteta was quick to make sure he took the acclaim from the supporters.
Arteta grabbed the ex-Bayer Leverkusen in a headlock before patting his chest as the pair ran to the away end, with the Gunners boss telling the crowd who to cheer for.
Social media was loving the heartwarming moment, as one X user said: “Beautiful. He is rewarding his faith.”
Another commented: “Mikel Arteta is class. What he did with Havertz after the final whistle, taking him to the fans like that, that’s class!”
A third added: “When the players talk about a family environment & having confidence from the club, this is what they’re talking about.”
79′ subbed on
89′ scores to send Arsenal top of the league
Mikel Arteta made sure Kai Havertz got a round of applause from the travelling supporters
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This fan then posted: “This is proof Arteta is the right leader for us, brings Havertz to the fans after his goal. Surely a confidence booster.”
Meanwhile another simply stated: “That’s beautiful.”
Commenting on his joy following the full-time whistle, Havertz told TNT Sports: “It feels amazing! I’ve been working hard for these moments, today I got it paid back.
“I’m just happy to help the team with that. Football is always hard work, nothing comes from itself, you always have to work and keep believing.”
He added: “It was tough for me the last couple of months, but I tried to put my ego aside because the team is the most important thing.
“I’ve been so thankful for these guys [fans]. I know it’s always hard when a new signing comes and they pay a lot of money for you.
“They sometimes think it goes quite easy and fast, I’m just thankful for all of them that keep supporting me.”
