Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang admitted he was ‘really happy’ after scoring his first Premier League hat-trick in Arsenal’s entertaining victory over Leeds United.
The 31-year-old, making his first start in almost a month due to a personal issue regarding his mother’s health, scored three goals as Arsenal beat Leeds 4-2 at the Emirates on Sunday.
Aubameyang drilled home Arsenal’s opener on 13 minutes, before doubling his team’s lead with a penalty just before half-time.
Arsenal defender Hector Bellerin added a third shortly after, while Aubameyang completed his first Premier League hat-trick after the break with a simple header.
He said: ‘Happy, really happy – my kids are going to be happy because they’ll get it [the match ball].
‘I’m happy with performance. I knew it’d be a hard game – they never gave up but we managed the game well.
‘The hat-trick means a lot to me. I’m a guy who always works hard. It’s been a tough time for me.
‘Everyone was giving a lot of love to me, my mum and my family. I have to say thank you to everyone at the club and the fans.’
Assessing Aubameyang’s performance against Leeds, Gunners boss Mikel Arteta said: ‘We have been missing his goals and him at his best.
‘He as been training after difficult period with a family issue and we had a feeling he could be key in this game.’
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