Martinelli ensures Arsenal duo match Ronaldo and Rooney record
Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka matched a 16-year Premier League record after the Brazilian struck for Arsenal in their dramatic 3-3 draw against Southampton.
Martinelli, 21, pulled one back for the Gunners in the 19th minute after Carlos Alcaraz and Theo Walcott gave Saints a quickfire two-goal lead. It was a terrific finish from the Brazilian, who tucked home from the edge of the six-yard box after Saka's precise cut-back.
That goal saw Martinelli and Saka match Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney's record from the 2006/07 season. The Arsenal duo became just the second pair of teammates aged 21 and under to both record 20+ goal involvements in a single Premier League campaign, after Rooney and Ronaldo for Manchester United.
Rooney scored 14 goals and provided 12 assists for United, while Ronaldo grabbed 17 goals and eight assists as the Red Devils romped to the Premier League title in the 2006/07 campaign. They were the first and only pair of team-mates under 21 to break the 20+ goals involvement barrier, up until Martinelli and Saka did so.
Following his milestone strike, Martinelli now has 15 goals and five assists in the top-flight this season, while Saka has 13 goals and 11 assists to his name. Both players impressed throughout the game, especially in the first-half, when the Gunners needed them to step up and save them.
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In a bizarre game, Southampton found themselves leading 3-1 heading into the final quarter of an hour after Duje Caleta-Car scored their third goal - and they looked destined to shock the leaders. However, Arsenal showed their never-say-die attitude and fought back at the end.
Arsenal were held to a 3-3 draw against Southampton (Offside via Getty Images)Martin Odegaard continued his impressive scoring spree with his 12th this term, before Saka salvage a point for the Gunners. It was a result that saw them move five points clear at the top of the Premier League table, although second-place Manchester City have two games in hand on their rivals.
Speaking after the game, Jamie Carragher told Sky Sports: "Listen, I've got no affiliation to either team but that was just a magnificent game, credit to both teams.
"There was lots of mistakes in there but the character that Arsenal showed, the quality Southampton showed in the first half, it was absolutely fantastic and that’s what makes the Premier League the best league in the world.
"We’ve just seen the top team in the country go into this game against the bottom team, and it’s the team going for the title who’ve almost snatched it towards the end. That man [Martin Odegaard] was excellent towards the end, certainly in the latter stages of the second half, but it does feel like a result that disappoints everybody in this stadium.
"The position they found themselves in, Southampton, and Arsenal, yes, they did come back, but they’ll be absolutely devastated going in. You see the reaction of the supporters, and that’s a massive result for absolutely everybody in the Premier League.
"Manchester City will be watching and four or five teams around the bottom will be absolutely delighted with what Arsenal have done towards the end."
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