PORTSMOUTH: Gabriel Martinelli emerged as Arsenal’s hero when he scored the first hat-trick of his career with the Gunners to help the Premier League leaders beat second-tier Portsmouth 4-1 to advance to the fourth round of the FA Cup.
The 14-time FA Cup champions were stunned as early as the third minute when Colby Bishop scored the home side’s opening goal after grabbing a rebound from a shot that was parried by Arsenal goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, sending Fratton Park into a frenzy.
However, Arsenal were only behind for five minutes before equalising from a corner, with Portsmouth failing to clear the ball which ended up being hit by their own player, Andre Dozzell, for the equaliser.
Martinelli put Arsenal ahead in the 25th minute when he headed in Noni Madueke’s corner kick.
Madueke had a chance to add a goal before the break, but his penalty missed, giving Portsmouth some relief.
Arsenal, however, looked better in the second half when Martinelli scored his second goal after finishing off a quality pass from Gabriel Jesus.
He completed his hat-trick with another header from a corner, once again exposing Portsmouth’s weaknesses in defending set pieces.
The victory saw Arsenal now score 17 goals from corners in all competitions this season.