Football: Martinelli stars as leaders Arsenal crush Everton to go five points clear
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Arsenal midfielder Gabriel Martinelli celebrates scoring the team's second goal with striker Gabriel Jesus (left) and midfielder Jorginho.
PHOTO: AFP
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LONDON – Mikel Arteta praised his players’ ability to produce “magic moments” while Sean Dyche said Arsenal have the look of champions as the Gunners moved five points clear at the top of the Premier League with a 4-0 rout of struggling Everton on Wednesday.
Bukayo Saka broke the Toffees’ stubborn resistance late in the first half before Brazilian forward Martinelli doubled Arsenal’s lead at the Emirates Stadium.
Martin Odegaard bagged the third and an impressive Gabriel Martinelli wrapped up Arsenal’s biggest victory since October on a night that could serve as another landmark moment in their surge towards the title.
Said Everton boss Dyche: “Second half they showed what a side they are.
“I said to my players, ‘what you’ve got to remember is, it’s not just about their ability’. At the end they’re closing down, they’re pressing, they save one off the line because they’re throwing bodies at it.
“That’s what wins titles. That’s the feeling of a group that wins titles. I’m not saying they’ve won it by any means, Man City are fantastic but you look at their work ethic.”
It was essential for Arteta’s side to win their game in hand on second-placed Manchester City as the title race approaches its climax.
With 13 games left, the victory keeps Arsenal in pole position to win the EPL for the first time since Arsene Wenger’s “Invincibles” in 2003-04.
“Once we scored the first goal, the game unlocked. We needed a magic moment there and Oleks (Oleksandr Zinchenko) and Bukayo produced that. After that we grew and deserved to win the game,” Arteta said.
“It’s a statement that we’re here and want to continue to do this.”
Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka scores their first goal.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Everton’s rearguard action had lasted until the 40th minute when Saka opened the floodgates.
Zinchenko’s pass found Saka in the Everton area and the 21-year-old held off Vitaliy Mykolenko before smashing a fierce strike into the top corner for his 10th league goal this season.
Former Liverpool and England striker Michael Owen said on Premier League Productions: “It was everything we associate with Arsenal, really.
“They were probing and trying and then, eventually, a little gap opened and they exploited it. It was a brilliant finish from Saka, absolutely brilliant.
“The problem defenders have with him is he can go one or two ways, can’t he? If you watch the shape of his body, he gets himself between his body and the danger man. It’s really good forward play to protect the ball like that.
“At the last minute, he decides to take it on his right, then nobody could get near him. What a finish it was.”
Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli (right) scores the team’s fourth goal.
PHOTO: AFP
After a three-game winless run in the league that culminated with City knocking them off top spot following a 3-1 victory at the Emirates, Arsenal have bounced back impressively.
Three successive wins since the City defeat have taken the Gunners to 60 points, which is their joint-highest total after 25 Premier League fixtures, along with that 2003-04 title-winning campaign and 2007-08.
“I’m delighted when I see the team play the way we want to. This league is a different story,” Arteta said.
“We had big proof of that at Goodison. I’m really happy with the maturity and quality we showed.”
Dyche started his Everton reign with a shock 1-0 win against Arsenal at Goodison Park on Feb 4.
But the Toffees have lost three times and won just once since then, leaving them third from bottom of the table.
Everton have played a game more than all the teams around them at the bottom and remain the league’s lowest scorers this season with just 17 goals.
Unless Dyche can fix their malaise, Everton are in grave danger of playing in the second tier for the first time since 1954. AFP
