Some Arsenal fans have taken to Twitter to give their reaction to manager Mikel Arteta’s decision to substitute Gabriel Martinelli in the second half against Southampton.
Arsenal suffered a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Premier League rivals Southampton away from home at St. Mary’s Stadium in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Saturday afternoon.
It was a disappointing display from the Gunners, especially in the first half, and the Saints will feel that they deservedly won the tie.
Martinelli started the match for Arsenal, but manager Arteta decided to take him off in the 58th minute.
The Brazilian forward was playing well at the time, while fellow attacking players Nicolas Pepe and Willian were struggling.
According to WhoScored, the 19-year-old took two shots and one was on target, had a pass accuracy of 77.8%, took 17 touches, and made two tackles.
The Brazilian has only just recently returned from injury, and perhaps Arteta was trying to protect him.
Some Arsenal fans were not impressed by Arteta’s decision to take off Martinelli and have criticised the Spaniard.
Below are some of the best comments:
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