No pain, no gain. Gabriel Martinelli’s goal celebrations do not usually consist of lying on the turf in apparent agony, surrounded by concerned teammates. Yet the decisive element was not when Wilfred Ndidi, in an attempt to stop his shot, planted his studs in Martinelli’s knee but when, with more accuracy, the Brazilian had angled his effort past Danny Ward.
It was, as the song that long greeted George Graham’s sides went, 1-0 to the Arsenal and their fans duly revived the chant. Like two of Graham’s teams, Mikel Arteta’s class of 2023 may become champions. As Leicester City were beaten, Martinelli was able to continue and Arsenal, too, are back on their feet. After the midwinter slump that brought a solitary point from three games, Arsenal now have six from successive away matches.
