The Arsenal striker scored twice in a dominant first half to help the Gunners deal with their injury problems as they cruised past Leeds United 3-0. Emery’s side were cruising at 1-0 before Martinelli put them two up inside 20 minutes, while Pierre Daye made it three late on.
Gabriel Martinelli scored a brace for Arsenal in the thumping win over Leeds United. The Gunners went on to win 3-0 with goals from Alexandre Lacazette, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
With a commanding 4-1 victory against Leeds United at Elland Road on Saturday, Arsenal maintained their momentum in the Premier League’s Champions League qualifying race.
Mikel Arteta’s side got off to a flying start, with Arsenal’s attacking players causing all sorts of problems when in possession, and it wasn’t long before they paid off when Alexandre Lacazette pounced on a Leeds defender attempting to dribble inside his own box, leaving the ball for Gabriel Martinelli to fire past goalkeeper Illan Meslier.
Soon after, Raphinha came close to leveling the score, but it was the last chance the home side would have until lightning struck again, with Martinelli finding the goal after connecting on a through-ball from Granit Xhaka.
Leeds failed to learn from their errors, and they were punished once again before the halftime break. No defender got near enough to Bukayo Saka, who tried his luck and saw the ball deflected into the net for Arsenal’s third goal.
Marcelo Bielsa’s team responded in the second half, although their assaults seldom resulted in a good opportunity at goal. Leeds finally equalized in the 75th minute, with Raphinha converting a penalty following Ben White’s careless challenge. Despite battling for a fourth, Arsenal were unable to recover after Martin Odegaard found replacement Emile Smith Rowe, who slammed home a fourth to seal the three points.
Positives
Arteta’s offensive foursome is starting to gel, with noticeable streaks of link-up play that are giving defenders issues. At the top of the field, Lacazette held the ball excellently, while Saka and Martinelli’s mobility separated the opponents into one-on-one situations. The north London side dominated completely.
2 Related
Negatives
On another day, conceding a penalty with 15 minutes remaining due to a reckless tackle might have undone Arsenal’s hard work.
Manager evaluations (out of ten)
ten — Arteta worked under Pep Guardiola for a long time, and he seems to have used a similar strategy to what we saw from Manchester City in midweek. Arsenal pushed hard and won the ball back in dangerous positions, with few counterattacks. The squad selection was also favorable, allowing the offensive players to express themselves freely. As Smith Rowe came in and secured the game, Arteta witnessed his replacement score.
Arsenal trounced Leeds United thanks to a brace from Gabriel Martinelli in the first half. Getty
Those are rated on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the best and players inserted after 70 minutes receiving no rating.
GK Aaron Ramsdale, 6 years old — A chance from Raphinha scared Ramsdale a little, but he was just a spectator on Saturday. Arsenal controlled possession of the ball, enabling their goalie to enjoy a peaceful day at work.
DF 8-year-old Takehiro Tomiyasu — Keeping things simple and concentrating on defensive tasks, he managed to keep the opponents quiet down his side. In the second half, smart defense helped to relieve some strain, albeit he was taken off due to injury on 64 minutes.
DF Ben White, 6 years old — When in possession, he brought the ball out from behind the defense and was typically in the proper spot, but his challenge to give up a penalty was rash.
DF Gabriel Magalhaes, 7 years old — Despite Leeds generating considerable pressure in the second half, a calm presence at the back. The 23-year-old went for headers with vigour and maintained a firm grip on Leeds attackers who reached his defensive zone.
DF Kieran Tierney, 7 years old — Tierney was outplayed by Raphinha in the first half and was fortunate that the finish did not go in, but it was the one misstep in an otherwise good performance.
MF 7-year-old Thomas Partey — Partey anchored the midfield and made his presence felt by regaining control of the ball. He kept things simple, giving the ball to the teammates who were more imaginative.
MF Xhaka, Granit, 7 — On both sides of the play, Xhaka was composed in midfield and moved the ball swiftly to Arsenal’s forwards. For the second goal, the Switzerland international’s pass was precise, enabling Martinelli to collect the ball in stride and score neatly. After a dubious tackle on Raphinha, he was fortunate to avoid punishment.
MF 8-year-old Bukayo Saka — Leeds were unable to find a solution for Saka, whose ball-carrying runs from wide areas forced the defenders to lose shape. The England international was constantly lively in control and displayed deft skill to catch players off guard when alone, which earned him a goal shortly before halftime.
MF 8-year-old Martin Odegaard — On the ball, he was confident and tried to breach the lines with his passes. Odegaard seemed to enjoy his performance from the No. 10 position at Elland Road, and he is starting to create a nice relationship with the men around him, assisting on Smith-game-winning Rowe’s goal.
MF 9-year-old Gabriel Martinelli — On Saturday, the match-winner from midweek was back at it, with clever movement that was just too much for the opponents to handle. With both of his goals in the first half, the 20-year-old was clinical in front of goal.
FW Alexandre Lacazette, 8 — Alexandre Lacazette is an eight-year-old boy. With his deft movement, the 30-year-old caught Leeds off guard on many occasions, regaining possession and forcing defenders into tough parts of the field. Lacazette has led the line by example in back-to-back games, and his performance on Saturday might prompt the Arsenal leadership to forward contract discussions.
Substitutes
DF 6 — — Cedric Soares Introduced in place of Tomiyasu, who seemed to have a hamstring injury.
MF Smith, Emile N/A Rowe, N/A Rowe, N/A Rowe, N/A Smith Rowe came in in the last minutes of the game to replace Saka and scored only six minutes later.
MF N/A, Nuno Tavares — After his team had just scored their fourth goal of the game, he was brought in to finish the game.
Watch This Video-
Related Tag
- arsenal football club
