Arsenal returned to winning ways in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon, as Mikel Arteta’s side dismantled Sheffield United 5-0 at the Emirates.
The Gunners remain unbeaten in the league this season and have moved to just two points off the top spot after their dominating display in north London at the expense of the Blades.
It’s been a disastrous start to the campaign for Paul Heckingbottom’s side amid their return to the top flight – and they were left far from claiming their first league win today in the capital.
Eddie Nketiah set the tone against Sheffield United
Prior to the team news being released, there was some speculation over who would claim the starting spot in the absence of Gabriel Jesus, as Eddie Nketiah was eventually selected to lead the line.
The Englishman had been in some questionable form before the fixture, but he silenced his critics by claiming a prolific 30-minute hat-trick either side of the break to all but win the game for Arsenal shortly after the interval.
A superb touch and finish, a clever shot in a crowded box and an outstanding long-range strike rounded off a sublime trio for the 24-year-old, who took home the match ball.
While Nketiah’s tally for the day was done, Arsenal’s was not, as a penalty from Fabio Vieira and a first Gunners goal for Takehiro Tomiyasu rounded off the game to deal the Blades a 5-0 defeat to take back to Bramall Lane.
Gabriel Martinelli was influential away from the goals for Arsenal
Nketiah deservedly stole the headlines for his impeccable display that earned him a 10/10 match rating from Charles Watts via GOAL, although he was just one of a number of top performers in Arteta’s side this afternoon.
Gabriel Martinelli has shown impressive form since returning from a hamstring injury, and in what has been a memorable week for the Brazilian, the 22-year-old was electric once again today.
On Tuesday, the £180k-per-week star netted his first Champions League goal on his competition debut in Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Sevilla, with his contribution just as pivotal at the Emirates.
Lauded by Watts as a “standout” in the first half, the Brazil international earned a stellar match rating of 8/10 by the journalist, who dubbed him a “live wire” for his efforts.
While Martinelli didn’t record a direct contribution to a goal during the 5-0 victory, the danger he caused when on the ball caused the Blades a real headache.
As noted by Sofascore, the 22-year-old completed 100% of his dribbles and recorded three key passes in the 66 minutes that he terrorised Sheffield United.
Minutes played
66
Key passes
3
Dribbles completed
2/2
Pass completion %
97%
Shots on target
1
Via Sofascore
As well as his faultless playmaking display, the forward was tidy in his distribution, maintaining a pass completion rate of 97%, which included 100% of his attempted long balls.
It was a particularly rounded performance by Martinelli, who also won five out of his eight ground duels and won two fouls for his side, to further communicate just how much of a handful he was for Heckingbottom’s defence to deal with.
Arsenal will be thrilled to get back to winning ways after their 2-2 draw against Chelsea last time out in the league, and even more thrilled to see their attack ticking despite the absence of Jesus.
