Arsenal fans got their first glimpse of Eberechi Eze for the side as he made his debut from the bench over the weekend.

It came in Arsenal’s defeat to Liverpool, where a piece of magic for the home side proved to be the real difference.

Mikel Arteta named a slightly changed team at Anfield, denying a first start for Eberechi Eze following his move from Crystal Palace.

As the Gunners started to chase the game, the manager turned to the bench, calling the new forward up for an opportunity to claw back a point.

There were some bright sparks for Eze, but one moment of frustration was highlighted by Arteta that left Arsenal fans furious.

Mikel Arteta applauds after Liverpool v ArsenalPhoto by Alex Pantling/Getty ImagesArsenal fans fume as Mikel Arteta questions Eberechi Eze’s finishing against Liverpool

Eze looked like a bright spark for Arsenal as he came on to make things happen for the visitors.

He had arguably the biggest chance of the game when he went through on goal, but he was unable to get the shot off before going down to the ground.

It was a moment that could’ve changed the whole game, as Arteta told the press: “You have to put the ball in the back of the net.

“We were much better than last year when we drew the game. Today we have three, four, five situations inside the box 1v1.

“Eze is completely through just to finish the action. You have to put the ball in the net if you want to win.”

While it was a point about finishing that Arteta made, fans couldn’t help but be critical of the Arsenal manager’s comments.

One supporter said: “Throwing Eze under the bus is so low even for Arteta man.”

Another added: “How can arteta blame Eze after playing martinelli for 70mins.”

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The frustration continued, as one supporter added: “Singling out Eze like this in his first game, as a sub btw, is awful by Arteta, man. You just cannot do this.”

“I actually can’t believe Arteta has scapegoated Eze 20 minutes into his debut. This coward will rather throw everyone under the bus than take any accountability,” another fan said in frustration.

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Some other fans were slightly more defensive of the comments, claiming: “Arteta’s right, Eze should’ve shot. No two ways about it. But it’s also Arteta’s fault for not bringing him on sooner.”

“Arteta was a bit out of line but saying he blamed Eze is an exaggeration all he said was missing chances was a bad thing and Eze’s came to mind,” another fan said.

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There’s plenty more still to come from Eze in an Arsenal shirt after his first cameo appearance, with an expectation that the goals and assists will start flowing soon enough.

Eberechi Eze looks on during Liverpool v ArsenalPhoto by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty ImagesMikel Arteta must use Eberechi Eze as his wildcard option

While Arteta seems pretty stubborn in his way of playing, having coached a system approach to the game, he simply cannot do that with Eze at Arsenal.

The England international often looks at his best when he is free to create on a whim, rather than being confined to a certain structure.

The perfect example of this going wrong is with Jack Grealish.

Having made the £100 million move from Aston Villa to Manchester City, he never truly looked at home under Pep Guardiola, who is far more systematic in his approach.

While it’s early days, his move to Everton on loan has shown that freestyle approach from Grealish, which made him a superstar to begin with.

Eze is of a similar mould and cannot be forced into a role that doesn’t suit him moving forward.