Ian Wright praised Arsenal duo Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Odegaard for showcasing ‘real quality’ during Arsenal’s 3-2 win against Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday at the Emirates.
Whether it was Trent Alexander-Arnold or Joe Gomez, Arsenal’s thriving Brazilian winger was just eating away at any player he was coming up against out on their left-hand side.
Within the first minute, amid all the talk of Liverpool’s abject defence, they were split open following a run and well-threaded through ball from the home side’s skipper, Odegaard.
Martinelli might be 21-years-old by age, but he showcased great maturity and composure and slotted home without a sweat to open the scoring.
Liverpool did pull a goal back in the first half through Darwin Nunez, but once again, the Gunners hit back, this time Martinelli showcasing composure to play a ball across for Bukayo Saka to score.
Despite the away side’s constant problems in defence, they still wouldn’t stop trying to knock down Arsenal’s backline, with Roberto Firmino then adding a fourth goal to the thriller in the capital.
But Arsenal continued to show fight and Saka added his second from the penalty spot to send Mikel Arteta’s side to the top of the Premier League table.
Wright was impressed by the quality shown by Martinelli and Odegaard during today’s game, as he told Premier League Productions.
“You are getting quality when they are getting into this area (final third),” said Wright. “Real good quality. A good-quality pass, with great movement and a composed finish. It was a great start.
“You can see Odegaard go right across – then the ball has to be perfect, and it is, then Martinelli comes through and scores.
“It was very easy for him (Martinelli) to come back on the inside (assist for Saka’s first goal), to be honest. Once he came inside, can he pick out that pass? Yes, he can. It’s brilliant.”
MARTINELLI THRIVING
To think a number of years ago, Martinelli was working his magic in Brazil’s lower leagues, yet here he is, ripping one of the best teams in Europe apart.
Yes, the Reds aren’t the same ‘monster mentality’-type team today, but they have still been the second-best team in England for a number of years.
But that could now be changing given how Arsenal have started this campaign because, forget about Champions League football, they are looking like title contenders here.