Gabriel Martinelli scored his first Arsenal hat-trick as the Gunners beat Portsmouth in the FA Cup third round, earning widespread praise from manager Mikel Arteta. The Brazilian winger's treble came just three days after he was involved in controversy during the goalless draw with Liverpool, when he attempted to pull injured defender Conor Bradley off the pitch before apologising publicly.
Arteta lauded the 23-year-old's resilience, saying it demonstrated the "big personality" required to play for a major club. "It can be something that costs you a game, and three days later there is a game," he said. "So you need to lift yourself up and make it count. He knew inside the reason why he did what he did. His personality is to come in and talk on the pitch, which is the best part of it."
Martinelli's display included two headed goals from corners, continuing Arsenal's reputation as set-piece specialists. Arteta revealed the forward had predicted his impact the day before the match. "He is very good, his timing in the box is really good," the Spaniard added. "Yesterday, he was talking about it."
Arteta also provided updates on injured defender Piero Hincapie, who limped off against Liverpool, and returning forward Kai Havertz, who made a substitute appearance at Portsmouth. "Probably tomorrow we'll know a little bit more on Hincapie," said Arteta, while confirming Havertz's comeback was a "great, positive" moment after months out.
