Pain in the Arsenal
Fansided

3 standout Arsenal players from the draw away at Liverpool

By Krish Ajmani

Arsenal's English defender Rob Holding (L), Arsenal's Norwegian midfielder Martin Odegaard (C) and Arsenal's English goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale applaud the fans following during the English Premier League football match between Liverpool and Arsenal at Anfield in Liverpool, north west England on April 9, 2023. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Arsenal's English defender Rob Holding (L), Arsenal's Norwegian midfielder Martin Odegaard (C) and Arsenal's English goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale applaud the fans following during the English Premier League football match between Liverpool and Arsenal at Anfield in Liverpool, north west England on April 9, 2023. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images) /
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Gabriel Martinelli’s smart finish opened the scoring. (Photo by PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Gabriel Martinelli’s smart finish opened the scoring. (Photo by PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images) /

2. Gabriel Martinelli

Up next is another Brazilian, Gabriel Martinelli. After briefly losing his place to Leandro Trossard and not quite connecting with Eddie Nketiah, he has found a rich vein of form in recent games and he continued this good form on Sunday.

While fans will continue to be haunted by his misplaced pass to Bukayo Saka in stoppage time, the rest of the game should not be overlooked. Martinelli was unplayable in the first half. He had the beating of Trent Alexander-Arnold every time. He swapped positions with Jesus to slide in the first goal. For the second, it was his off-ball movement and pinpoint cross that assisted his countryman.

The second half was more difficult for the team as a whole. Control was lost, rendering the attacking players disconnected from the midfield and defence. Yet as the game got stretched, Martinelli’s pace was crucial in getting Arsenal up the pitch. Although none of the counterattacking opportunities resulted in goals, his work rate and effort must be applauded.

Continued on the next slide…

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