Gabriel Martinelli Injury Doubt for Arsenal’s Champions League Return

Brazilian forward Gabriel Martinelli is a doubt for Arsenal’s Champions League return after he suffered a suspected hamstring injury during Sunday’s win over Everton. The 19-year-old thought he had opened the scoring in the 19th minute, only to see his goal ruled out for offside in contentious circumstances. Martinelli’s frustration turned to annoyance moments afterwards when he was forced off ahead of a critical week with fixtures against PSV Eindhoven and Tottenham on the horizon.

“He felt something in his hamstring so he will need to be assessed,” said Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta after the game. “He’s not normally a player to have muscular issues, but he had to come off. Let’s see.”

Martinelli was replaced by the eventual matchwinner, Leandro Trossard, who finally broke Everton’s resistance with a superb finish with 20 minutes remaining. Arteta praised Trossard’s performance, noting that he had also scored for Belgium in the week prior. “It’s what we need – the players who came in did very well, the subs that came on did very well. We need everyone on their toes and we fully trust them.”

Arsenal End Long-Running Hoodoo at Goodison Park

The victory represented Arsenal’s first three point haul in the Blue half of Merseyside since 2017 and Arteta was delighted to put a long-running hoodoo to bed. “We talked about it, this is the challenge. For six years we haven’t won here and there are a few reasons for it. It’s how you do things and the input you do in every single action. I think we played an incredible game, we kept them quiet and created many, many chances,” he said.

The win was a much-needed boost for Arsenal, who are currently ninth in the Premier League table and face a tough task to qualify for next season’s Champions League. They will now turn their attention to their midweek clash with PSV Eindhoven, where they will be hoping to secure a positive result without the services of Martinelli.

Conclusion

Gabriel Martinelli is a doubt for Arsenal’s Champions League return after suffering a suspected hamstring injury during Sunday’s win over Everton. The 19-year-old was replaced by Leandro Trossard, who scored the winning goal in what was Arsenal’s first three point haul in the Blue half of Merseyside since 2017. The Gunners will now turn their attention to their midweek clash with PSV Eindhoven, where they will be hoping to secure a positive result without the services of Martinelli.