Lisandro Martinez took aim at Gabriel Jesus on Sunday by sharing a picture of him and Tyrell Malacia winning a tough battle against the Arsenal striker.
Manchester United defeated the Gunners 2-1 at Old Trafford to move within three points of the Gunners at the top of the Premier League. The Red Devils have now won four consecutive games after their defeats to Brighton and Brentford at the start of the season.
New signing Martinez put in another solid display at the back, starring alongside Malacia, Raphael Varane and Diogo Dalot. That defensive unit has done well since it was put together by Ten Hag after United's humbling 4-0 loss to the Bees.
Although Martinez impressed, it wasn't the easiest of games form him and Varane thanks to Jesus' tireless performance. The Brazil international put in an outstanding display, causing the home defence plenty of problems in the fiercely contested fixture.
In fact, Bukayo Saka's second-half equaliser wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for Jesus' darting run into the middle of the box. The ball ended up squirming to Saka after a last-ditch tackle from Dalot and United could do little to stop the goal.
Despite Jesus' efforts, Martinez and his defensive colleagues managed to stop Arsenal from scoring again in the 3-1 win. The Argentine was clearly proud of his display, sharing an image of him and Malacia beating Jesus in the air on Instagram after the game.
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"My bro @tyrellmalacia," wrote Martinez. At the other end of the pitch, a brace from Marcus Rashford and a debut strike from new £85million signing Antony ensured United were victorious It's the first time they've won four league games in a row since April 2021.
Ten Hag will be sweating on Martinez's fitness after the defender was forced out of the game with a muscular injury. It's believed the substitution was just a precaution and he is expected to face Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park this coming Sunday.
United icon Paul Scholes believes Martinez is vital to Ten Hag's team. "At United it’s about the determination more than anything you know the talent is there but it’s about getting up to people, stopping people, getting up to people being solid at the back," said Scholes after the Arsenal win. "Having that solid back four now is helping them. Martinez coming out of that might be a worry going forward."
Bruno Fernandes was also impressed with Martinez's display. After Sunday's game, Martinez wrote on Instagram: "Great winning mentality and fighting spirit to get another big win today. Well done everyone! Massive shout out to our fans!"
On seeing the post, Fernandes replied: "Animal" - followed by the flame emoji.
Malacia has also impressed for the Red Devils following his summer move from Feyenoord. The 23-year-old came into Ten Hag's side in place of Luke Shaw last month and hasn't looked back, starting and finishing all of United's four Premier League wins this term.
