Arsenal faced off against Portsmouth at Fratton Park earlier today as they hoped to earn a positive result on the road in the FA Cup. The Premier League leaders made a slow start to the game and conceded the opening goal in the third minute when Colby Bishop found the back of the net. However, the Gunners equalised just five minutes later thanks to an unfortunate own goal from Andre Dozzell. Gabriel Martinelli gave Arsenal the lead in the 25th minute as Mikel Arteta’s men went into the half-time break 2-1 up on the scoreline.
Martinelli scored again for the Gunners in the 51st minute before completing his hat-trick in the 72nd minute. The match ended with Arsenal earning a dominant 4-1 win away from home.
Let’s take a look at how each Arsenal player fared during the clash against Portsmouth.
GK: Kepa Arrizabalaga – 7/10
He made a few solid saves at the back and did enough to restrict the home side to just one goal.
RB: Ben White – 7/10
White gave a good account of himself defensively and made one decent run with the ball.
CB: Gabriel – 6.5/10
He put his foot through the ball when he could, but failed to keep a clean sheet.
CB: Christian Norgaard – 6.5/10
Norgaard performed his defensive duties well and was good on the ball.
LB: Myles Lewis-Skelly – 6/10
He made one crucial clearance inside his half and was accurate with his passing.
CM: Mikel Merino – 7.5/10
The Spaniard was a positive influence at both ends of the pitch.
CM: Eberechi Eze – 7/10
He caught the eye at times in the middle of the park, but there was no goal for him.
CM: Ethan Nwaneri – 6.5/10
Nwaneri got stuck in some solid tackles and was replaced in the 68th minute.
RW: Noni Madueke – 7/10
He was a real menace on the right flank and has got a couple of assists to show for his efforts.
ST: Gabriel Jesus – 7.5/10
Jesus engineered some decent chances for his teammates in the final third and ended the game with an assist to his name.
LW: Gabriel Martinelli – 8.5/10
He was not shy of having a strike at goal and managed to score a hat-trick for Arsenal today.
Substitutes:
CM: Kai Havertz – 6/10
He made one good chance in the final third.
CB: Jurrien Timber – 6/10
His impact on the game was minimal.
CM: Martin Odegaard – 6.5/10
He engineered some inviting chances for others around him.
RB: Marli Salmon – 6/10
Salmon was solid at the back.
CM: Martin Zubimendi – N/A
