Arsenal fans now owe a public apology to Gabriel Martinelli

Gabriel Martinelli, much like he's done against Man City before, scored a late goal against Pep Guardiola's team.

After impressing in midweek against Athletic Club, Gabriel Martinelli was left on the bench. Fellow Champions League scorer Leandro Trossard started, and the less said about his performance, the better.

Martinelli only needed one chance, and he chipped one of the tallest and best goalkeepers in the world. Yet again, Martinelli has defied all odds, and we must say it, he's proven Arsenal fans wrong.

Arsenal fans owe a public apology to Gabriel Martinelli

For many weeks, Arsenal fans were growing frustrated with Martinelli. It was like he was playing on borrowed time, and it would only be a matter of time before his position in the lineup was challenged, and challenged it was.

Noni Madueke, Viktor Gyökeres and Eberechi Eze all arriving in the summer transfer window spelled trouble for the current fringe Arsenal attackers, since it would lead to a reshuffle.

However, Gabriel Martinelli has now scored twice and assisted once in his last two matches for Arsenal.

The Brazil international doesn't feel pressure. He is thankful to spend his life playing the game that he loves the most, and making a career out of it is just a bonus.

That said, if Martinelli did feel the pressure of Arsenal's new arrivals, then he's responded to that pressure in the exact way that Arsenal fans would want. And now, Arsenal fans who ever doubted him, ourselves included, owe a public apology to Gabriel Martinelli.

We admit it, we were wrong. We let out Martinelli frustrations get the better of us, but we are gladly eating out words now.

Gabriel Martinelli's rise back to the top, after his Arsenal career looked to be at a crossroads, is not only good for Martinelli. It's good for every Arsenal player in a similar position, and the motivation this will set will surely have a positive ripple effect.

And look, we won't act like the result was one to shout home about. It wasn't. The Gunners should have won that match, and a draw still feels like a loss.

However, Gabriel Martinelli can take a win from that moment. He has to be the starting left-winger going forward.

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