Owen Hargreaves was a big fan of what Gabriel Martinelli and Noni Madueke were doing during Arsenal’s FA Cup fourth-round win over Wigan Athletic.
The team from League One didn’t stand a chance against a rampant Arsenal, who scored four times in the first half.
It was Noni Madueke who opened the scoring, continuing his rich run of form for the Gunners in place of Bukayo Saka on the right flank.
Moments later, in an almost identical passage of play, Gabriel Martinelli scored, with both goals crafted by Eberechi Eze, who was unplayable against Wigan.
Eze’s masterful passing caught the eye of everyone watching, but it was the work of the two wingers that captivated Owen Hargreaves.
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Owen Hargreaves praised Gabriel Martinelli and Noni Madueke against Wigan
Martinelli and Madueke were among Arsenal’s best performers against Wigan, and for good reason.
Aside from their goals, the pair made a difference to the Gunners’ attack, which has been questioned this season.
Speaking to TNT Sports live at half-time [17:24 15/02/26], Hargreaves singled out that the movement of Madueke and Martinelli crafted the goals, not just Eze.
“It’s the runners,” Hargreaves stated when analysing the two goals, before describing the tactic as ‘impossible’ for Wigan to deal with.
“Martinelli with a great one, Madueke with a great one, running off the ball, and forward passing is almost impossible to stop.”
There was a strong connection between Eze and the two wide men, who were on the run as soon as they saw the playmaker with the ball at his feet.
The combination of Eze’s vision and passing ability and the pace of Madueke and Martinelli was everything Arsenal have been lacking in recent weeks, so long may it continue.
Noni Madueke beat Eberechi Eze to be crowned Arsenal’s best creator against Wigan
Eze’s playmaking was one takeaway from the match, but it was actually Madueke who stood out as Arsenal’s key creator against Wigan.
Agree or disagree, Noni Madueke is showing that he could keep Bukayo Saka out of Arsenal’s starting XI.
How good was Noni vs Wigan 👏
No player on the pitch created more chances than Madueke, who recorded four key passes to Eze’s two.
The difference was that there were players there to finish Eze’s chances, but Madueke’s impact shouldn’t go overlooked despite this.
It was another impressive performance from the winger, who is slowly but surely creeping his way into Arsenal’s best XI.
No pressure, Saka!
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