25 October 2023 , 08:31
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Arsenal legend Martin Keown was left waxing lyrical over Gunners star Gabriel Martinelli mid-way through Tuesday night's 2-1 Champions League win over Sevilla.
The result puts Mikel Arteta's men top of Group B after three games played, with this trip arguably the toughest of the lot on paper. It was Martinelli who broke the deadlock with a sensational counter-attacking goal, helped in large part by a stunning assist from his fellow Brazilian Gabriel Jesus.
The former Manchester City star Cruyff turned his way through two Sevilla defenders before playing a perfectly weighted pass into the path of Martinelli, who still had plenty to do at this stage. However, the 22-year-old was the calmest person inside the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium as he rounded the goalkeeper before tapping home into an empty net.
Considering how much time Martinelli had to think about which finish would serve him best, the Brazil international deserves plenty of credit for not getting caught in two minds. The goal certainly impressed Keown, who heaped praise on the wide-forward at half-time.
"Lovely," the ex-Arsenal man claimed when describing the opener. "Great awareness [from Jesus]. Martinelli here I think shows the patience, he missed one didn’t he after about eight minutes.
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“He certainly wasn’t going to miss that one and just look how many players he [Jesus] takes out of the game, three players have gone out to buy tickets to get back in the ground. Martinelli then takes his time, draws the keeper on and I think he just beautifully tucks that away.
"He’s like an inside forward Martinelli, isn’t he? Always on the move, with lots of pace and a lovely finish. Perfect. It’s very important they have two players, not just Saka but Martinelli as well, he came on against Man City at half time and he’s coming back from an injury but again he showed really good signs today."
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Gabriel Martinelli came in for praise after his goal against SevillaMartinelli continues to go from strength to strength, showing that for all of the headlines Bukayo Saka generates, his team-mate on the opposite flank isn't far behind. It hasn't been the fastest of starts to the season for the Selecao star, with two goals across all competitions, but his remarkable ability isn't up for debate.
Just ask Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, who clearly saw this coming when he sang the praises of Martinelli all the way back in 2019 when the Gunners met the Reds in the Carabao Cup. The game saw Liverpool progress on penalties after a 5-5 draw that saw Martinelli net twice.
After the game, having watched his young defensive duo of Sepp van den Berg and Joe Gomez be run ragged, Klopp claimed: “[Van den Berg] played an incredible game. That’s really difficult to deal with these guys. Martinelli’s pretty much the same age but he’s a talent of the century, he’s an incredible striker, so it’s really difficult."
Four years down the line, the former Ituano prospect has established himself as one of the best wide-forwards in the Premier League long before he is expected to hit his peak years.