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‘Bellerin grows from game to game’

Arsene Wenger has hailed Hector Bellerin’s development after his “electric” performance against Aston Villa.

The 19-year-old scored his first Arsenal goal on Sunday, stroking home Santi Cazorla’s pass from the edge of the box to complete a 5-0 win.

Wenger also praised Bellerin’s defensive work and is impressed by how much he has improved since making his debut against Borussia Dortmund in September.

"He has that electric pace even in the last minute, to go past people and to get crosses in"

Arsene Wenger

“It’s great - I’m pleased for him,” the manager told Arsenal Player. “He grows from game to game, he’s more confident and he has that electric pace even in the last minute, to go past people and to get crosses in. Defensively, he has improved a lot.

“Considering his first game, at Dortmund, and what I think of him today, that’s credit to him, because he had a bit of a nightmare away from home in Dortmund.

“When you see what he has produced today, you can only say ‘well done and continue to keep your priorities right - defend well, go forward when you can,' and he’s doing that well.

“It was a comprehensive win," added Wenger. "It was not always as easy as it looks now - we had our weaker moments but overall I’m pleased because we kept our concentration and we respected the collective game we wanted to play until the end. That is very pleasing.“