Arsenal winger Gabriel Martinelli can lay claim to a unique achievement.
Gabriel Martinelli was on the scoresheet again as Arsenal beat Southampton 3-1 in a Premier League clash on Saturday afternoon.
The Brazilian attacker came off the bench to put the Gunners ahead at the Emirates Stadium. Having been on the pitch for less than ten minutes, the 23-year-old arrived to meet a Bukayo Saka cross at the back post and prodded the ball past Aaron Ramsdale.
Whilst Saka struck again late on to add gloss to the scoreline, it was Martinelli who provided the winning goal, and he has now netted in each of his last two Premier League outings, having endured a lengthy goal drought prior to these strikes.
There are signs that Martinelli is returning to form. It would certainly be a huge boost for Mikel Arteta if the forward can get back to his best, not least because a goalscoring Martinelli always leads to good results for the North London club.
Gabriel Martinelli extends exceptional Arsenal record
In fact, Arsenal have never lost a game in which Martinelli has got on the scoresheet.
As per the club’s official website, in the 37 games in which he has found the back of the net, across all competitions, the Gunners have won 32 and drawn 5. This is an individual record that “no other player comes close to matching” in the club’s 137-year history.
Martinelli’s closest competitor in this regard is former full-back Lee Dixon, who scored in 26 games in his Arsenal career, of which 20 were won and 6 were drawn.
Meanwhile, in terms of the current squad, neither Leandro Trossard or Kai Havertz have ever been on the losing side when scoring for Arsenal, having struck in 20 and 19 games, respectively.
Martinelli, Havertz, and Trossard have all proven themselves to be lucky charms for Arteta so far.
Getting the best out of Martinelli
Arteta will clearly want Martinelli on the scoresheet as often as possible, which means that the team must be set up to coax the best out of the winger.
Summer signing Riccardo Calafiori has quickly struck up a relationship with Martinelli on the pitch. The Italian left-back is aggressive and attack-minded, willing to push forward and combine with the Brazil international.
Martinelli will also benefit from Mikel Merino’s return to fitness. The Spanish midfielder is expected to make the left-eight midfield role his own, and from there he will be ideally positioned to pick out Martinelli’s runs.
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