Unai Emery Praises 'Perfect' Nicolas Pepe Free-Kick Double Against Vitoria

Arsenal manager Unai Emery has praised Nicolas Pepe's "perfect" brace of free-kicks in Thursday's 3-2 win over Vitoria Guimaraes. 

The Gunners trailed 2-1 when Emery brought Pepe off the bench at the Emirates Stadium in the UEFA Europa League. Pepe netted twice from set pieces, with his second coming deep into added time.

The goals were an insight into why Arsenal paid a club-record £72 million to sign the forward from Lille in the summer; the Ivorian has struggled prior to Thursday's heroics.

After the game, Emery was unsurprisingly delighted to see the winger make such a big impact, per Charlotte Marsh of Sky Sports:

"Every new player usually needs time for adaptation. Pepe is a very good player, and we believe in him totally.

"We are very happy for him and us because he has two goals from two set pieces which were perfect. He trying last week with set piece shooting on the training ground and I was watching his shooting.

"He is improving and tonight he has two goals, which are important for us and for him. He's continuing the adaptation in his process and as soon as he can adapt, that's better for us. The most important thing is the three points and that some individual players can improve, that they can take confidence for us and for them."

Arsenal were well below their best for much of the encounter, with Pepe's late goals papering over the cracks of another poor display:

Per Squawka Football, all three of Pepe's goals for the Gunners have come from dead-ball situations:

The cameo from Pepe was enough for Arsenal to extend their perfect record in this season's UEFA Europa League, putting them in a strong position to qualify for the next round.

Emery will be hopeful the forward can carry that kind of form into the Premier League this weekend after he squandered the team's best chance on Monday in a shock 1-0 loss to Sheffield United.

The free-kicks will surely give him a boost ahead of Sunday's clash with Crystal Palace, though. James McNicholas of The Athletic was pleased to see Pepe get his moment:

James Benge of Football.London noticed an uplift in Pepe's confidence after his opening goal on Thursday:

With Lille last season, Pepe was one of the standout players in European football. On the right flank, his ability to dart infield, take defenders on and score goals gave the team a thrilling outlet. When Arsenal signed him for such a huge transfer fee, few eyebrows were raised as a result.

A period of transition was always a possibility, and it's clear Pepe has struggled with some aspects of English football. Emery will hope that his exploits in Europe can be a catalyst for improved displays in the Premier League.