Pundit Chris Waddle has suggested that Arsenal duo Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli were basically invisible against Newcastle United.
Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli were effectively nullified as Arsenal lost 1-0 at Newcastle United.
That is the view of pundit Chris Waddle, who spoke to BBC Sport on Saturday evening.
Anthony Gordon scored the only goal of the game, but his strike caused real uproar.
Arsenal are outraged that the goal was given, believing that the ball had gone out of play, that there was a foul in the build-up and that there was an offside.
VAR cleared all three stages a feisty affair, with both Kai Havertz and Bruno Guimaraes arguably lucky to escape first-half red cards.
Chris Waddle comments on Arsenal wingers Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli
Arsenal will feel aggrieved but their performance wasn’t quite up to the high standards set under Mikel Arteta.
The Gunners did have 14 shots on goal but only one on target, unable to break down a stubborn Newcastle defence.
Two players who didn’t really do enough in the eyes of former Newcastle ace Waddle were Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli.
Waddle told BBC Sport that Newcastle reduced the influence of Saka and Martinelli – two key Arsenal players – to ‘virtually nothing’.
Waddle felt that the pair were fairly invisible thanks to Newcastle’s defending, highlighting that Martinelli appeared ‘frustrated’.
“Martinelli is really starting to get frustrated, he’s not had any joy whatsoever against either Livramento or Trippier,” said Waddle.
“Saka on the other side too, Newcastle have reduced their influence to virtually nothing in this game,” he added.
Saka and Martinelli stats v Newcastle United
Saka certainly didn’t have his best day in an Arsenal shirt.
The England winger failed to register a single key pass, shot on target or successful dribble – three key aspects in the final third.
Saka won one tackle and completed three crosses but was dispossessed three times in an underwhelming display.
Martinelli was much better on the pure numbers; five key passes, one shot on target, two successful dribbles and two accurate crosses.
We have come to expect so much from Arsenal’s two flying wingers and they just didn’t quite do enough to prevent a Gunners defeat.
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