Gabriel Martinelli’s late equaliser against Man City was inspired by a motivational message the Arsenal star received from his girlfriend before the clash at the Emirates.
The Gunners attacker has been forced to play more of a supportive role for Mikel Arteta’s side this season, with new summer signings Noni Madueke and Eberechi Eze getting the nod of him thus far.
The Brazilian was consigned to the bench again for Sunday’s mammoth tie against fellow title contenders Man City, with Arteta opting for Madueke and Leandro Trossard to operate on the flanks instead.
Disconsolate, the 24-year-old messaged his partner, Isabella, to let her know the bad news.
In a response she has since shared with her 213,000 Instagram followers, Isabella told the Arsenal star: ‘You’ll play against tired legs and you’ll score. You’ll see.’
As it was, Martinelli came off the bench to bag a dramatic late equaliser, in which he latched onto a pinpoint pass from Eze before lofting the ball over City’s titanic goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Gabriel Martinelli’s dramatic late equaliser for Arsenal was inspired by his girlfriend
The 24-year-old was called from the bench and made an instant impact for the Gunners
The 24-year-old is establishing himself as somebody who can make an instant impact for Arteta this season, having scored off the bench to help his side beat Athletic Bilbao in the Champions League last week.
Arteta revealed after the win in Spain that he knew Martinelli would prove the difference for his team.
Arteta said: ‘I adore Gabriel. His attitude, his commitment, his positivity, what he’s willing to do for the team. As a family, we certainly value all the qualities that he has, and he brings to the team.
‘I was sure that Gabby was going to react like that. You raise the level to Gabby and he was going to do that. He has such a mentality. That’s the moment that hopefully is going to give him the confidence to go again, because he’s an outstanding player.
‘I looked on the bench, I looked at him, and in his eyes I could see that he was ready, Leo as well. They play with that confidence and that connection between them as well, and it’s really good. I think that’s going to help us a lot for the future.’
After splurging £250milion over the summer, Arteta believes he has the right squad depth.
Martinelli’s girlfriend, Isabella, shared a screenshot of her WhatsApp chat with the Brazilian
She told him: ‘You’ll play against tired legs and you’ll score. You’ll see.’
Arteta said: ‘They (substitutes) are at least equally important or more important (than the starters).
‘Especially with the intensity that we play when the team starts to drop off. I’m very pleased to see that.
‘And Piero (Hincapie) comes in and plays six minutes, the best six minutes he’s played. Christian (Norgaard) is the same, and that’s the attitude that we need from all of us.’
