Arsenal midfielder hails Martinelli ‘moment of magic’ | OneFootball

Declan Rice hailed Arsenal teammate Gabriel Martinelli for the ‘moment of magic’ that earned a late draw against Manchester City.

Martinelli came off the bench to rescue a point for Arsenal at the Emirates, bursting in behind before lifting a finish over Gianluigi Donnarumma.

It was the second time in a week that Martinelli had impacted a game from the bench, having scored and assisted as a substitute against Athletic Bilbao in the Champions League in midweek.

Rice praised his teammate for his attitude and impact, having started the season out of favour under Mikel Arteta.

“(He has been) Massive. Every since I’ve come to the club he delivered big moments. Some players can sulk if they get put on the bench but he shows his heart and desire,” Rice reflected to Sky Sports.

“The run and finish is unbelievable. He fully deserves it – you wouldn’t meet a nicer guy. He’s come on and produced a moment of magic.”

Rice believes Arsenal merited a result from the contest, with the Gunners having dominated the possession. Manchester City’s 32.8% was the lowest ever recorded by a Pep Guardiola team in a league fixture.

“We’ve gained respect of the opposition – they know the quality we have from front to back.

“We passed and moved well in the first half and in the second but there was always the threat on the counter.

“In the end, we deserved the goal and would have been disappointed to come away losing.

“I could sense some frustration in the stadium because we had so much of the ball. We knew we had to step on it in the second half and the message was to keep pushing.”

Read – Manchester City break unwanted possession record at Arsenal

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