Arsenal drew 2-2 away at Chelsea on Tuesday night.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has told Football.London that he wanted to substitute Gabriel Martinelli ‘a few times’, but was constantly shocked by his energy levels.
The Gunners travelled to West London on Tuesday night, taking on rivals Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, and it looked like being a tricky night for Arsenal.
Shkodran Mustafi’s slack back pass put David Luiz in trouble, and when he was sent off for hauling down Tammy Abraham, Jorginho stepped up to score from the penalty spot.
A slip from N’Golo Kante allowed 10-man Arsenal to pull level as Martinelli raced clear to score, only for Cesar Azpilicueta to put Chelsea back in front.
Arsenal rallied again though, as Hector Bellerin scored a late leveller with a left-footed effort, giving Arteta and co a point as they made the trip back to North London.
Arteta was asked about Martinelli’s impact after the final whistle, and praised him for having the courage to take on Azpilicueta all night long.
The Spaniard then hailed Martinelli’s energy, admitting that he wanted to substitute him on a number of occasions, believing he looked tired – but would then start sprinting 60 yards again, meaning Arteta left him on.
“No and to play in this stadium the way he has, with 10 men and against Azpilicueta who in my opinion is one of the best defenders in the league – and he was going against him every single time, you need courage to do that,” said Arteta. “Then his energy. I wanted to take him off a few times because he looked knackered, he was cramping and next minute he’s sprinting 60 yards again,” he added.
Martinelli, 18, is making a quite remarkable impact at Arsenal, racking up nine goals and three assists in 20 games for the Gunners since signing from Ituano – and last night’s display is another indication that Arsenal have a real star on their hands, who not only has talent, but also the application necessary.
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