Gabriel Martinelli scored his first senior hat-trick to guide Arsenal to a 4-1 victory over Portsmouth in the FA Cup fifth round on Saturday. The Brazilian's performance came days after he was criticised for an incident with Liverpool's Conor Bradley, but he proved the match-winner at Fratton Park.
Portsmouth took an early lead through Colby Bishop, who scored his first goal in 20 appearances after just two minutes. Arsenal equalised when an Eberechi Eze corner was turned into his own net by Andre Dozzell. Martinelli then headed Arsenal in front from another corner before the break.
After the interval, Martinelli added two more goals, the first from a quick free-kick and the second from yet another corner. The victory extends Arsenal's unbeaten run against Portsmouth to 23 matches, with the south coast club's last win dating back to 1958.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta praised Martinelli's character, saying: 'He knew inside the reason why he did what he did. I think Arne Slot spoke brilliantly after the game. Come in and talk on the pitch.' Arteta also highlighted the team's set-piece prowess, with Arsenal now having scored 17 goals from set-pieces this season.
The win saw 16-year-old Marli Salmon become Arsenal's youngest ever FA Cup player, at 16 years and 135 days. The Gunners progress to the quarter-finals as they continue their defence of the trophy they won in 2020.
