Declan Rice has heaped praises on Arsenal teammate Gabriel Martinelli, after his goal secured a valuable point against Manchester City on Sunday.
The Gunners looked set to lose at home to their title rivals, until Martinelli produced another moment of magic to secure a draw.
The Brazil winger had also shone as a substitute in midweek, finding the back of the net just 36 seconds after coming on against Athletic Bilbao.
He scored the opener and provided the assist for Leandro Trossard’s second, to give Arsenal a deserved 2-0 win in their UCL opener.
Mikel Arteta started with a very conservative lineup and left the likes of Eberechi Eze, Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Martinelli on the bench for the crucial clash.
However, it was the visitors that struck first, taking the lead with a remarkable goal by the in-form Erling Haaland.
The Norwegian released Tijjani Reijnders in his own half and sprinted across the pitch to get to the return ball and slot into the net past David Raya in the Arsenal goal.
Arsenal applied pressure in the second half and the match looked set to end in a victory for the away side until Martinelli, who came in as a substitute, proved decisive for the second time in a week.
He latched on to a brilliant ball from Eberechi Eze, before chipping Gianluigi Donnarumma in the City goal to spark wild jubilations among the home supporters.
The game ended 1-1 with both sides sharing the spoils, leaving Arsenal on 10 points while Manchester City have just seven points from their first five matches.
Declan Rice hails impact sub Martinelli
In the space of one week, Gabriel Martinelli, who had come under scrutiny for his poor performances, has come to the rescue of his side.
The Brazilian followed up his match-winning contributions in mid-week with another game-saving moment on Sunday for his side.
While speaking after the match, Declan Rice heaped praises on his teammate.
“Since I’ve come to the club, even before I’ve come, he [Martinelli] has always delivered in big moments, the amount of times he’s scoring in big games”, the England midfielder hailed his teammate.
“A lot of players can talk if they get put on the bench but every time he comes in, he shows his desire.
The run and finish – it’s unbelievable at that stage of the game. To have that composure, he really deserves it”, Rice continued.
“So even though we didn’t win, I thought we finally deserved it because we dominated today and played really, really well.
“We just couldn’t break them down. Fair play to them. But Martinelli, he’s come on and produced a moment of magic. So we’re happy with that.”
