Gabriel Martinelli was criticized for his actions against Liverpool in midweek, but after scoring a hat-trick in Arsenal’s big FA Cup victory, Mikel Arteta was given the nod.
Gabriel Martinelli scores a hat-trick as Arsenal beat Portsmouth (Image: Mike Hewitt)
Mikel Arteta praised Gabriel Martinelli’s “great character” after his FA Cup hat-trick took Arsenal through to the fourth round.
Martinelli completed Arsenal’s first hat-trick with his first goal of the competition, just three days after being in the midst of a storm surrounding Liverpool’s Conor Bradley. Gunners winger Martinelli has issued a public apology after trying to drag Bradley off the pitch during Arsenal’s goalless draw at the Emirates, claiming he had no idea the Liverpool defender was seriously injured.
“That’s why you need a big personality to play for a big club, because it can go bad, it can go wrong, it can damage the game. And there’s a game in three days, so you have to push yourself and make it count,” Arsenal manager Arteta said.
read more: Gabriel Martinelli silences Portsmouth’s boos, but Arsenal’s dilemma remains – 5 topics
“That’s part of football and how you take it. But deep down he knew why he did what he did. I think Arne Slott spoke brilliantly about his opponent after the game and explained the situation and the fact that Gabi had no intention of harming the player.”
“His character is to come on the pitch and talk. That’s the best part of the pitch. I love that. Gabi, in every situation you put him in, he plays or he doesn’t play. He performs well, he performs poorly. Today he scored three goals.”
Martinelli’s treble came just days after he came under fire for his actions following an incident involving Liverpool’s Conor Bradley (Image: Catherine Ivill/AMA)
Incredibly, Brazilian star Martinelli also scored twice with a near-post header from the corner post, continuing Arsenal’s talent as a set-piece specialist. But Arteta claimed he was told by Martinelli the day before the match that he would score from a set piece. “He’s very good. His timing in the box is really good, especially when you’re in certain spaces. And he was talking about that yesterday.”
Arteta said Kai Havertz, who limped off injured against Liverpool but returned to form against Portsmouth, came on as a substitute, and that he would hear more about injured defender Piero Hincapie on Monday.
Arteta added: “There were some great, positive things today. Obviously we were able to win the game and move on to the next round. Kai looked like he had done it after all the work he had put in over the months to get fit.”
“We’ll probably find out a little bit more about Hincapie tomorrow. The situation he’s in, obviously, he’s got to come up. It’s never been a good sign for him, but I hope it’s not too much.”
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