Gabriel Martinelli was the star of the show as Arsenal beat Portsmouth in the FA Cup.
The Brazilian has had a tough few days. He came under immense criticism for pushing Conor Bradley off the pitch against Liverpool, with some even calling for a ban.
The FA rightly decided not to take any action on Martinelli, and just a few days later, he scored his first-ever hat-trick to help Arsenal win 4-1.
Seeing Martinelli score from two corners was a surprise to many, but not Mikel Arteta.
Who was your Arsenal Man of the Match vs Portsmouth?
Mikel Arteta reveals what Gabriel Martinelli told his Arsenal teammates before Portsmouth clash
When you think about Gabriel Martinelli, the first thing that comes to mind is his electric pace on the wings.
The Brazilian is rapid, and on his day, he can dribble past any full-back in the world.
However, what was surprising to see against Portsmouth was Martinelli jumping up to score two brilliant goals from corners.
Even though he has scored headers before, that is not a trait that he is associated with, but Arteta is not surprised at all.
After the game, a journalist told the Arsenal manager: “I couldn’t believe that he scored two from set-pieces.”
Arteta replied, as relayed on HaytersTV: “I do, because he is very good. His timing in the box is really good, especially when he attacks certain spaces.
“Yesterday, he was talking about it.”
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Describe Gabriel Martinelli’s performance against Portsmouth in three words
Hat-trick hero!
Gabriel Martinelli may have provided a new weapon for Arsenal
It is no secret that Arsenal are the best team in the world in set-pieces.
Nicolas Jover has done a phenomenal job on that front, so much so that teams are now scared to concede corners against the Gunners.
Gabriel Magalhaes is always the biggest threat, while the likes of Mikel Merino, William Saliba, Jurrien Timber and now Kai Havertz are usually heavily marked as well.
Martinelli isn’t really renowned for his heading in set-pieces, which is why opponents may not mark him as seriously as they do with the bigger players.
Arsenal could use that as a big advantage and deploy Martinelli in areas where he can get his headers off from corners. That could be Jover’s new weapon in the coming months.
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