3 standout players in dominant Everton home win

2. Gabriel Martinelli

Like his teammate Saliba, Gabriel Martinelli’s previously impressive form had tailed off. Gabriel Jesus got the best out of him, combining and rotating with his compatriot to get Martinelli closer to goal. With Jesus’ injury and Eddie Nketiah’s distinct playing style, the winger has looked isolated at times. The left-hand side, once a strength of this Arsenal team, has looked dysfunctional in recent weeks, with none suffering more than Martinelli.

Yet Leandro Trossard’s inclusion in the team has led to the Brazilian finding form again. The former Brighton man has started over Nketiah. When lining up through the middle, Trossard drifts over to the left, switching positions with Martinelli. This led to his goal against Leicester and his first against Everton. During Arsenal’s most recent win, Arteta had Trossard and Martinelli completely switch positions to solidify this advantage. Martinelli’s second goal came from his new position as a striker, attacking a Nketiah cross to stab home.

His movement off the ball also created issues. The energetic youngster attacked space in behind when possible. It was his run that created space for Saka for the opening goal. He made dangerous runs off the shoulder of the last defender, giving Everton a massive headache to deal with.

The player’s defensive work rate cannot be faulted either. Although this has become standard in Arteta’s side, he still merits praise for sprinting back to help both Oleksandr Zinchenko and the rest of his team. It looks like the manager is gradually figuring out ways to get the best out of Martinelli. Good news indeed.

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