Gabriel Martinelli is a firm fans' favourite at Arsenal and his performance against Manchester United on Thursday night will have done his chances of a regular starting berth no harm whatsoever.
The Brazilian youngster has had something of a stop-start Arsenal career since arriving in north London in 2019 as a highly-rated teenager.
But the fans warmed to him from minute one and when things are not going so well there is always a clamour for him to start if h is not involved.
Martinelli came off the bench and scored with only his second touch in the win over Newcastle United at the weekend and he was in fine form on Thursday as he was rewarded for that cameo with a start against United.
While Arsenal were beaten 3-2, Martinelli impressed, earning a nine and the man of the match award in football.london's player ratings.
And there was one particular moment of skill that got the Gunners supporters talking.
A clip of Martinelli nutmegging Jadon Sancho with a ridiculous piece of skill was posted on Reddit in the aftermath of the game with one fan describing it as a "reverse elastico".
Sancho once again had a disappointing evening for United, but the fans loved Martinelli's skill.
DysphoriaSettingIn said: "Martinelli gives me [Alexis] Sanchez vibes when he's on it, electric pace, superb ball carrier and is just always on the move. I’d honestly give him Auba’s game time and let him grow, Auba is a very limited finisher who can’t finish no more but more importantly, can’t help the team out when he's not finishing."
User SE20299 also demanded Mikel Arteta drop captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to accommodate Martinelli against Everton at the weekend, saying: "I honestly think Arteta should start him over Auba vs Everton. They probably won't put up much of a fight, and it can't be worse than what Auba's been putting out. At the very least he'll gain some confidence."
OrientSundew89 said: "He deserves way more playing time."
And BradyGronktd1287 said: "Has world class potential needs to play on the LW with Saka."
