A first-ever Arsenal hat-trick from Gabriel Martinelli saw us come from behind to beat Portsmouth at Fratton Park and reach the FA Cup fourth round.
We fell behind early when Colby Bishop turned the ball home on the rebound, but we quickly responded when a corner led to Andre Dozzell scoring an own goal and then on 25 minutes another set-piece was flicked in by the head of Martinelli to complete the comeback.
Noni Madueke then missed the target with a penalty just before the half-time, but after the break Martinelli tapped home a Gabriel Jesus cross before converting another set-piece delivery from Madueke to secure the matchball, and our spot in tomorrow’s draw as our fight for silverware on four fronts continues.
Stunning start
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A packed house greeted the teams, and free from the need to pick up vital Championship points, Pompey played with their tails up in the opening stages, and just two and a half minutes had elapsed before the home fans were given something else to cheer.
Harvey Blair’s low centre found Connor Chaplin in the box and the forward’s first-time shot was parried out by Kepa Arrizabalaga, but only to Bishop, and the Pompey skipper was on hand to turn in the rebound.
But we responded well to the setback, and swiftly restored parity before panic could set in. We won our first corner on eight minutes which Ebere Eze swung into the box, and after it was flicked on by Martinelli and then Gabriel, Luke Le Roux’s clearance struck Dozzell before spinning over the goalline.
In the ascendancy
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But Portsmouth continued to play like a side with nothing to lose, and as they continued to push forward, a low effort by Blair required Arrizabalaga to push the ball past his post. But having conceded the second-most set-pieces in the second tier this term, we exploited the hosts’ Achilles heel once again on 25 minutes to take the lead.
This time it was a flag kick from the other side that did the damage, which Noni Madueke delivered to a packed box which prevented goalkeeper Josef Bursik from getting anywhere near it, and Martinelli to power home with his head at the near post to turn the tie in our favour.
There were ample opportunities for us to extend our lead before the break, and Martinelli nearly added a fantastic second when an excellent pass by Mikel Merino split the defence and allowed the Brazilian to run onto it, and with Bursik off his line he curled the ball around the keeper but saw his effort marginally drift the wrong side of the post.
Then he struck the woodwork with four minutes of the half to go when a Ben White cross was miscued by Madueke, but from a tight angle close to the byline, Martinelli could only nudge it off the upright.
But within a minute after that, an even bigger chance to extend our advantage came and went. Madueke slipped past ex-Gunners junior Zak Swanson who brought him down inside the box. The winger took the responsibility of taking the penalty himself, and despite sending Bursik the wrong way, he scuffed his attempt wide of the target.
Martinelli’s milestone
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However just six minutes into the second half, we managed to finally grab our third. After Madueke was fouled, Myles Lewis-Skelly caught our opponents napping and his quickly taken free-kick allowed Jesus to get free and centre for Martinelli for a tap-in, as he completed his first brace for two years.
Despite falling two behind, John Mousinho’s team kept their heads up and pushed to try and get back into the game, but we nearly added another when Ethan Nwaneri saw a trademark curler into the bottom corner blocked, before Kai Havertz was introduced from the bench for his action since the opening day after his knee injury.
And not long after that, we sealed our place in the fourth round, and Martinelli took home the matchball. Again it was a corner that did the damage as Madueke picked up his second assist, and Martinelli rose highest to drive it over the top of Bursik and score his first Gunners treble.
With the result in the bag, we handed another appearance to Marli Salmon, who became our youngest-ever player to feature in the FA Cup aged 16 years and 135 days, and Arrizabalaga and Bursik made decent stops to deny Terry Devlin and Eze.
A dream return for Havertz didn’t quite happen as he saw a shot on the turn blocked with the final kick of game, but the afternoon was one that Martinelli will remember for the rest of his career.
What's next
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We turn our attentions to the Carabao Cup on Wednesday when we travel to Chelsea for the first leg of our semi-final tie, and then it's back to the Premier League on Saturday when we head to Nottingham Forest. A fourth away day in a fourth different competition follows, as we face Inter Milan at the San Siro on Tuesday, January 20.
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