Gabriel Martinelli posted another brilliant performance for Arsenal on Saturday, helping Mikel Arteta’s side return to winning ways.
Arsenal hammered Southampton 3-0 at the Emirates Stadium yesterday afternoon and although Martinelli wasn’t among the goals, he played a major role in the victory nonetheless.
The 20-year-old attacker from Brazil was a constant thorn for the visitors and set up the Gunners’ third of the evening, whipping in the corner which Gabriel Magalhaes connected to with a thumping header in the second half.
With Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang dropped for disciplinary reasons, there was that bit of added pressure on the South American to produce the goods.
And Martinelli – who came off injured in the defeat by Everton on Monday night – certainly did deliver for the North Londoners yesterday.
His performance won acclaim from Owen Hargreaves, who told Optus Sport after the victory that he’s a massive fan of the youngster, a £6 million signing during Unai Emery’s reign.
Hargreaves, a former Manchester United midfielder, said: “I love Martinelli as well. I think he gives them something completely different.”
Time to step up
Nobody can deny that Martinelli is a massive talent in football and one of Arsenal’s most exciting footballers.
However, it’s also undeniable that over the past couple of years, the youngster has stagnated in a major way.
Remember, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp called him a ‘talent of the century’ in October of 2019, when Emery was still Arsenal manager.
But under Arteta, consistency has been an enormous problem for Martinelli but, having said that, it’s impossible to deny that he finally seems headed in the correct direction – and from an Arsenal perspective, they’ll be absolutely delighted.
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