LONDON – When Gabriel Martinelli appeared on the halfway line at half time ready to come on for the second half, Arsenal’s fans erupted.
Martinelli was back. Turns out, he was back with a bang.
[ MORE: Arsenal 1-0 Man City recap, analysis | Arteta reaction ]
From the first time he picked up the ball and charged at Manchester City’s defense moments after coming on, it was clear Martinelli’s injury was well behind him as his 86th minute deflected shot won Arsenal the game and sent the fans wild as Arsenal finally beat Manchester City after 12-straight Premier League defeats against them.
Even though he cut a cool, calm character in the tunnel area, Martinelli didn’t play down the importance of this win for Arsenal.
“A great win. We know how hard it is to play against them. It was a great performance from the team and a great win,” Martinelli told reporters. “It was a special day for me. I tried my best and really hard to be back with the team. It was a great moment for me. Great win.”
Arsenal’s belief of title win growing
Does the win give Arsenal more belief than can finish above Manchester City and win the Premier League title?
“Of course. We are Arsenal and we are always believing about the title. A win against a big side like them is great and we just need to carry on… It is always great to win against the big teams. We did today and I am so happy.”
With Bukayo Saka missing the game through injury, Arsenal were missing their two starting wingers from the start and lacked creativity and cutting edge in the final third, especially in the first half.
“We started the second half really, really well. The subs made a huge difference,” Mikel Arteta told the BBC after the game. “Martinelli made a huge effort to be in the game, nobody believed he would there. The medical staff were trembling but he was there and he was excellent.”
Arteta added to Sky Sports: “Another player with big ones too. The physios weren’t having it and he said ‘I am ready to go’. Leo got injured and I looked to him and he was already ready to go.”
Stronger squad than last season?
Martinelli’s arrival for the second half gave Arsenal more unpredictability and admitted that winning it for Saka, who has been the game-winner for Arsenal so many times over the last few years, was on their mind.
“We know our potential. We know how important he [Saka] is for us. Today we did our best and tried to win the game for our fans, for us and for B (Saka) as well,” Martinelli added.
Many have pointed towards Arsenal’s squad being stronger than last season, as the four substitutes (Martinelli, Tomiyasu, Havertz and Partey) were all involved in the winning goal and the summer additions of Declan Rice, Havertz, Jurrien Timber and David Raya have strengthened the squad significantly.
Does Martinelli believe Arsenal are stronger than last season when they finished second, four points behind title winners Manchester City?
“It is another year. We are trying to improve on things and try to do better than last season… We have a great team and it is important to have a lot of options,” Martinelli said.
Could this be Arsenal’s year?
“When you play for Arsenal you have to always believe,” Martinelli said. “This is what we do. We play for Arsenal and we always believe to win the titles.”
