Arsenal star slammed for being Mikel Arteta’s ‘problem’ sent a message vs Brentford – he was at his best

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Arsenal leapfrogged Nottingham Forest to take second place with a 3-1 win against Brentford.

Mikel Arteta would have been panicking early on, as the Gunners conceded after just 13 minutes courtesy of Bryan Mbeumo.

Riccardo Calafiori was slammed for his defensive work when coming up against Mbeumo but fortunately, the Italian’s teammates spared his blushes. 

Goals from Gabriel Jesus, Mikel Merino and Gabriel Martinelli settled the scoreline for Arsenal, who ensured three crucial points returned with them to the Emirates.

• READ MORE: Five things you may have missed in Brentford 1-3 Arsenal, including suspension blow for Arteta

Gabriel Martinelli was one of Arsenal’s best players against Brentford 

There were several top performers who ultimately won the game for Arsenal, with Ethan Nwaneri shining on his full Premier League debut.

The teenager replaced Bukayo Saka on the right side, seeing Martinelli returned to his favoured left, which worked a treat for Arteta.

Saka is so important to Arsenal and how the Gunners play, however, against Brentford, it became clear that the boss might have found the perfect combination to cope without the winger. 

Restoring Martinelli to the left was the right decision, as the Brazilian made clear with his sublime display against the Bees.

The 24-year-old’s numbers from the game only emphasise just how good he was in the wide areas, with his goal simply the icing on the cake of a very strong display. 

Paul Merson had doubts about Martinelli 

A blistering display has been needed from Martinelli for some time, who has been criticised recently for his lack of output in comparison to Saka.

Against Brentford, such was not the case, as the Brazilian put any doubts about his game to bed with a solid 90 minutes. 

Paul Merson recently accused Martinelli of being a ‘problem’ for the Gunners, honing in on the lack of conviction on Arsenal’s left side. 

A goal and a tireless performance at the Gtech saw the forward cause Brentford problems, rather than his own team, being back to his very best, which we must see more of.