Lucas Perez is a player not many Arsenal fans have thought about for some time, which is what made it a shock when the Spanish striker scored the winning goal for Cadiz CF against FC Barcelona this Easter Monday.
A forward that is placed in the forgotten realms of Arsenal attackers, Perez spent just one season in north London before returning to Spain on loan with former side Deportivo la Coruna, with West Ham then signing the striker for peanuts in 2018.
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Since then, Perez has had a somewhat nomadic career in Spain, with the now-33-year-old attacker playing for Alaves, Elche, and now Cadiz, where the forward scored his first goal of the La Liga season against Barcelona this week.
A close-range header was saved by Marc-Andre ter Stegen, but Perez was at the right place at the right time to slot the ball past the Barcelona keeper to score the only goal of the evening as Cadiz secured a historic win against the European giants.
With Arsenal losing 1-0 to Southampton just days after Perez’s masterclass in finishing against Barcelona, the goal was another kick in the teeth for the Gunners, who have scored just once in their last three games.
Indeed, goals have been a major problem for the north London side this season, with Alexandre Lacazette scoring just two non-penalty goals in the entire Premier League campaign, which only makes Perez’s strike against Barcelona that more bitter for the Gunners.
Arsenal fans will be fuming over Perez’s winning goal vs. Barcelona
The past few weeks have been some to forget for Arsenal fans, with three losses in a row potentially dooming Mikel Arteta’s side to another season outside the top-four, and Perez’s goal against Barcelona doesn’t do supporters any favours.
With the north London side struggling to find of the back of the net, watching their former striker score against one of the biggest clubs in Europe is hardly what Arsenal fans wanted to see, especially with three huge games coming up in the Premier League.
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