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Former Manchester United Rio Ferdinand has compared Arsenal attacker Gabriel Martinelli with their club legend Thierry Henry.
Ferdinand said so after the Gunners' convincing 5-0 home win over Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Saturday (January 20). Gabrel opened the scoring inside 11 minutes before Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson's own goal eight minutes before the break made it 2-0 for the hosts.
Mikel Arteta's side were three goals to the good in the 59th minute, thanks to Leandro Trossard, before Martinelli's stoppage-time brace put the result beyond doubt.
Both Martinelli strikes drew praise from Ferdinand, who said that they evoked memories of Henry. Ferdinand said on TNT Sports (via Eurosport):
"You want to start the game. They controlled much of the opening spells of the game, then they get a set-piece and score two goals.
"When you look at it, I think Mikel Arteta will be delighted with the way his team have responded, on the back of two defeats. The set-piece coach has done a magnificent job.”
The Englishman said about Martinelli's brace off the bench:
“This is what I liked about him. The defender makes a bad decision... but he has the composure, the calmness in front of goal. That was Thierry Henry-ish, getting in those areas, he was magnificent at doing that.”
The win - the Gunners' first in four games across competitions - propelled them to within two points of leaders Liverpool (45), who have a game in hand.
"We must continue to do better and improve as a team" - Arsenal boss
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta was pleased to see his team return to winning ways with an emphatic performance.
Lauding the players, including the ones who came off the bench, the Spaniard said that the team need the same aggression and motivation in the second half of the season.
"We used moments of the game we knew could exploit really, really well," said Arteta on TNT Sports (via BBC). "The subs did really well and had a big impact. Everyone was really focused. This is the second part of the season. We want to tackle it with a lot of aggression and motivation.
"I would like to play three days after, but it is what it is.We will keep preparing, and we must continue to do better and improve as a team."
The Gunners next travel to Nottingham Forest in the league on January 30.
