Arsenal’s FA Cup third-round win over Portsmouth was all about Gabriel Martinelli, who scored a hat-trick.
It’s been a tough week for Martinelli due to the Conor Bradley ugliness.
The Arsenal star bounced back from adversity in style, scoring three at Fratton Park to book the Gunners a spot in the FA Cup fourth round.
Martinelli expected to have an impact against Portsmouth and did just that, scoring two headers from corners and finishing a fantastic move made by Gabriel Jesus.
The Brazilian’s three finishes deserved huge praise, but it was something else he did that had fans talking.
Describe Gabriel Martinelli’s performance against Portsmouth in three words
Hat-trick hero!
Gabriel Martinelli’s movement in the 30th minute vs Portsmouth can’t be overlooked
Martinelli lined up on the left side with Jesus leading the line and Noni Madueke on the right.
While each player had an impact, it was Martinelli who shone brightest, not only for his goals but for his menacing movement.
It was in the 30th minute that the 24-year-old really showed his quality, making a run in from the left to get on the end of a tremendous pass from Mikel Merino before having a shot on goal.
Who was your Arsenal Man of the Match vs Portsmouth?
Martinelli’s movement is what Arsenal have been missing in attack, as the winger pulled off a fantastic first touch to get the ball into a position to have a strike on goal.
The forward might’ve missed his attempt, but he created a goalscoring opportunity out of nowhere with the help of Merino’s vision.
It was a sublime passage of play from Martinelli, who had fans saying the same thing on social media on the half-hour mark of the match.
Arsenal fans all agreed on one thing after Martinelli’s miss against Portsmouth
The idea of Martinelli being a striker has been spoken about numerous times at Arsenal and has been put into practice in the past.
Mikel Arteta prefers to play the winger out on the left, but after seeing Martinelli’s run against Portsmouth, fans gathered on X to call for a position change once again.
“Martinelli should be tried at 9, he will bang goals,” one X user wrote.
Another wanted to draw attention to his touch, saying, “This touch from Martinelli is ridiculous.”
In response, a fellow fan replied, “CF touch.”
There were multiple discussions happening on social media about Martinelli’s potential as a striker.
Change my mind, Gabriel Martinelli can only save his Arsenal career by becoming a striker.
One conversation between two fans went as follows.
“Martinelli at CF would have fed Families,” one said.
The X user responded, “I believe we could have easily won a fair few more trophies with a manager willing to do this instead of Arteta.”
After watching Martinelli’s inwards run, perfect touch and shot, one fan concluded:
“Martinelli is a striker, I’ve said this since day one. He’s wasted on that left touchline.”
The talk will split opinion, as Martinelli made his run in from the left, still adhering to his positioning as a winger.
What is clear, however, is that fans want to see the Brazilian tested as a centre-forward, something that must tempt Arteta.
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