Ian Wright admits he was 'very surprised' by one key Mikel Arteta decision in Arsenal's 5-0 win over Crystal Palace
Arsenal legend Ian Wright was surprised by Mikel Arteta's decision to bench Gabriel Martinelli in the clash against Crystal Palace on Saturday, December 20.
Martinelli started on the bench in the Gunners' Premier League clash against Palace at the Emirates, with Leandro Trossard replacing him. Gabriel Magalhaes opened the scoring for the north London side in the 11th minute, netting in from a corner. He then forced an own goal from Dean Henderson in the 37th minute.
Trossard made it 3-0 for Arsenal in the 59th minute. He was then replaced 10 minutes later by Martinelli. The Brazilian scored two goals in two minutes in the stoppage time to complete a 5-0 win for the Gunners.
After the game, Wright said that he was surprised that Martinelli didn't start considering his pace and dribbling skills. He said on Premier League Productions (via Mirror):
“When you get someone like Gabriel Martinelli in that much space, the line was so high, I was very surprised he didn’t start."
He added:
“I’m quite pleased he came on and made the impact he did. [His first goal is] a very good finish. Very accurate. Brilliant, superb. [With the second goal] Palace are all over the place, the midfield is nowhere near it, look at how much space he has got.
“Can he finish? Yeah, he can. You’ve got to take advantage when teams are playing poorly like Palace were. You can really punish these teams.”
Martinelli has scored six goals and provided three assists in 25 games across competitions for Arsenal this season.
Arsenal end their poor run, hammering Crystal Palace
Coming into the clash against Crystal Palace on Saturday, the Gunners had won just one of their last seven games across competitions. They were winless in their last four games and had lost the last three.
However, Arsenal got the perfect start against Crystal Palace, who have won just one of their last 12 games across competitions. Gabriel Magalhaes helped make it 2-0 for the Gunners within 37 minutes to clear off any nerves. Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli then gave the finishing touches in the second half to complete a rout for their side.
Mikel Arteta's side are now third in the Premier League table, two points behind leaders Liverpool, who have a game in hand. Arsenal will next play on January 30 when they face Nottingham Forest away. They will then host Liverpool on February 4.