Young Martinelli leads Arsenal's revival vs West Ham

By Daily Sports on December 10, 2019

Again Arsenal looked dead and buried at the end of the first half against West Ham in the EPL on Monday night as they have been for much of the season.

With a dreadful form and with confidence on the lowest ebb, The Gunners headed to West Ham knowing anything but a win could potentially drag them into an early relegation dogfight in the premier league, yet it was a very nervous Freddie Ljungberg team that played without conviction against the Hammers in the first half.

When Angelo Ogbonna put the Homye side ahead in the 38th minute with a header off a cross that the Arsenal defence yet again failed to deal with, Arsenal's problems were amplified all the more and it was difficult to see them getting anything from the game. 

If there was one little spark though for Arsenal, it came in the shape of an 18-yeat old striker Gabriel Martinelli who was making his first start for The Gunners.

Arsenal mounted a spirited comeback in a devastating 12 minutes spell in the second half and it was Martinelli who began the comeback, showing agility and positional intelligence to finish a beautiful cutback cross from left back Sead Kolasinac.

Nicholas Pepe took a cue from Martinelli to score a sumptuous curler of a strike, while skipper Pierre Emery-Aubamyeyang was on hand the shoot in the third goal to completely lift the mood of the players and fans in North London.

With the expensive assemblage of stars Arsenal has, for all the big names, the big signings and the even bigger salaries among this Arsenal team, it was the performance of teenager Gabriel Martinelli that stood out. He also showed a lot of the qualities that have been missing during the club's dismal run of form.

The Brazilian exceptional throughout the game. It wasn't just the finish, a measured strike into the corner of the net. It was already apparent in his previous appearances that he was capable of that - netting seven times in six starts for the Gunners in the cup competitions.

This was the night he became the youngest Arsenal player to score on his first Premier League start and the fourth-youngest scorer for the club in the competition full stop. But regardless of his age, Martinelli showed his more experienced team-mates the way out of this rut. 

Interim manager Ljungberg was quoted after the game to have said he decided on featuring more of his experienced players in last week's home loss to Brighton as he felt their experience would help dig the club out of the whole but that didn't work.

Martinelli has now shown there is another way.

This young forward has quality, of course, but plenty at Arsenal have that. It is his desire that his team-mates must replicate. If that happens, perhaps Arsenal still have a chance of turning their season around.

°Additional quotes from Adams Bate (Sky Sports). Photo shows Martinelli. 

Source Daily Sports

Posted December 10, 2019


 

You may also like...
Enugu Emerges Host of 2020 Para-Powerlifting World Cup...

Dutch Beat Latvia As 5,000 Fans Watch referee...

Rooney’s Derby Face Relegation After Points Deduction

150 medical staff, 15 ambulances to be deployed...

Rivers United send Gombe United down to NNL...

Lewandowski Hopes To Break Messi, Ronaldo Monopoly As...

 

Latest News 'Perfect night' for Chelsea as 'exciting' Estevao gives glimpse of future Chelsea & Aston Villa fined for breaching Uefa financial rules Galatasaray to meet Osimhen next week Chelsea edge Palmeiras 2–1 to advance to Club World Cup semis Fluminense beat Al-Hilal to reach Club World Cup semi-finals Joshua, Wilder teams in contact over long-awaited clash Rashford to return to Man Utd training on Monday Liverpool postpone pre-season return following Jota death White House to host UFC event, says Trump Barca target Williams signs 10-year Bilbao deal Death of Liverpool forward Jota leaves football world in shock Will Chelsea's own 'Little Messi' end their Club World Cup hopes?

 

Most Read Rangers International going, going . . . (55,562 views) Amaju Pinnick: A cat with nine lives (46,725 views) Second Term: Amaju Pinnick, Other NFF Heavyweights Home to Roost •How Pinnick Broke the Jinx (44,736 views) Missing $150,000 IAAF Grant: Solomon Dalung’s Hide and Seek game (44,332 views) Current issues in Nigerian sports: Matters arising (44,331 views) Sports Development: Zenith Bank on the zenith (44,320 views) Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje’s solid footprints, commitment to sports development in Kano State (44,124 views) NFF Presidency: Pinnick, Maigari, Ogunjobi, Okoye in Battle for Supremacy (43,666 views) Olopade, BET9A wave of revolution in NNL (42,775 views) Commonwealth Games 2018: Shame of Muhammadu Buhari, Solomon Dalung (41,389 views) Ibrahimovic’s Man U exit: Whose decision is it? And in whose interest? (39,835 views) John Mikel Obi: Segun Odegbami’s Outrageous Call! (39,259 views)

 

Phone numbers

Tel: +234(0)8066020976
+234(0)8055068145
+234(0)7013416146
+234(0)8094272884

Email addresses

info@dailysportsng.com
support@dailysportsng.com
publisher@dailysportsng.com

Office address

No 3, Adetoun Close, Off College Road, Ogba, Ikeja Lagos.
Website: www.dailysportsng.com

Social Media