Gabriel Martinelli starred for Arsenal in their Group F Europa League fixture with Standard Liege, the Brazilian teenager finished the match with two goals and an assist.
Martinelli, signed from Brazilian side Ituano for 6m pounds during the summer, opened the scoring after 13 minutes of play with a fine header, he scored his second with a low, curling finish just three minutes later. Taking his goal tally to four goals in two matches.
Another youngster, Joe Willock scored the third goal with a curling effort and Dani Ceballos on loan from Real Madrid rounded up the scoring in the 57th minute, poking home from a Martinelli pass.
Arsenal missed series of chances to extend their lead in the closing stages, but the victory is another significant step towards the Europa League knockout stages following the 3-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt in their opening group game.
New signing Kieran Tierney, signed from Celtic for 25m pounds, delivered some threatening crosses. One of which led to Martinelli’s opener, darting across his marker at the near post and glancing a superb header high into the net after Shkodran Mustafi’s crossfield pass had found its way to Tierney.
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Arsenal’s next two goals came from the same area. For their second, Martinelli beat Standard Liege defender Zinho Vanheusden to a Reiss Nelson cut-back and controlled the ball smartly before shifting it onto his right foot and curling a low finish beyond the goalkeeper.
Willock volleyed another Tierney cross over the bar from close range soon after that, but the academy graduate did not have to wait long to add Arsenal’s third, controlling Nelson’s deflected shot and dispatching a composed finish into the corner for his third goal of the campaign.
Arsenal were unfortunate not to be awarded a penalty when Standard Liege goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic brought down Nelson shortly before half-time, but they were celebrating their fourth just 12 minutes after the break when Martinelli’s delicate centre was forced home by Ceballos.
Source: Skysports
