Arsenal icon left with egg on his face after calling out Gunners duo before Brentford
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Arsenal goalscorers Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli provided the perfect response to former Gunners star Emmanuel Petit, after the Frenchman slammed their contributions so far this season. Jesus and Martinelli both got on the scoresheet in Arsenal's 3-1 win over Brentford, to help drag Mikel Arteta's side from a goal behind at the Gtech Stadium. Jesus netted in the opening half to put the north London side back on level terms after Bryan Mbeumo's impressive opening goal.
Mikel Merino handed Arsenal the lead in the second period before Martinelli added a third, producing his second goal in three games. Jesus' strike had been his sixth goal in just four matches. The win put the Gunners within six points of Liverpool, as Arsenal face life without talismanic figure Bukayo Saka. World Cup winner Petit had expressed his concerns over both players' ability to step up in the England international's absence.
“Saka being out for a few weeks is a huge blow – but other players now need to come in, step up, and take on the responsibility.” Petit said. “I’ve been waiting for some players to reach a level, and I’m quite frustrated, to be honest, actually. I’m still waiting for them to reach the next level.
“I’m thinking about Gabriel Martinelli, for example. I’m not happy with Martinelli. He had a good game against Crystal Palace a few days ago, but that’s not enough. “When you look at his journey, and how he started in the first-team, around the same time as Saka… when you look at how Saka has improved, year after year, and has become one of the best players in the Premier League, I’m thinking ‘when is that going to come from Martinelli?’.
