‘Monster’, ‘Machine’: Saliba & Martinelli praise Arsenal star after what he did vs Sporting CP | OneFootball

Arsenal secured a convincing 5-1 win over Sporting CP in the Champions League on Tuesday night.

The Gunners were anticipated to face a tough challenge against the Portuguese champions, who recently outclassed Manchester City by a 4-1 scoreline.

However, the London giants were not overawed by the occasion in Lisbon and they could have easily scored more than three goals in the opening half.

Sporting CP reduced the deficit shortly after the break, but Arsenal managed to regain composure to secure a comfortable 5-1 victory away from home.

Gabriel Magalhaes was exemplary in the heart of the defence. He had the better of Viktor Gyokeres, who could not influence proceedings with just five touches in the box.

The Swede was restricted to shots from outside the box which were comfortable for David Raya.

Magalhaes also scored his third goal of the campaign with a trademark header from a Declan Rice corner.

The Brazilian was superb on the night and he went on to praise the team and supporters on Instagram. William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes were among those who replied.

Saliba described him as ‘monstro’ in Portuguese which translates to ‘monster’. Martinelli praised him as a ‘maquinaaa’ which means ‘machineee’. He was worthy of the praise.

The 26-year-old suffered an injury during the closing stages of the game and Arsenal will be hoping that he can recover in time for the Premier League derby at West Ham United on Saturday evening.

The Gunners have started to find form with back-to-back wins over Nottingham Forest and Sporting CP. They need to continue the streak to close the nine-point gap to league leaders Liverpool.

Liverpool face a tricky game against Manchester City, who will be desperate to respond after a six-game winless run. The reigning champions have suffered five defeats during this period.

Arsenal have an opportunity to reduce the deficit by beating the Hammers at the London Stadium.

Stats from Sofascore.com