Gabriel Martinelli sets new Arsenal target as he reflects on stop-start season

Arsenal star Gabriel Martinelli scored the final goal in their famous Champions League quarter-final win against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, but he has claimed he doesn’t like playing on the right flank

Gabriel Martinelli has admitted he has not hit the heights this season – but is determined to make up for lost time. Gunners winger Martinelli, 23, described scoring the last-gasp winner in Arsenal ’s Champions League victory at Real Madrid as the “biggest night of his career.”

But Martinelli also confessed that he has struggled at times this season as he has endured a stop-start campaign disrupted by injury, a dip in form and playing out of position.

However, the Brazil star insists he and Arsenal want to finish the season in style by winning the Champions League and he made it clear they will not give up on the Premier League ahead of Sunday’s trip to Ipswich.

Martinelli said: “I can’t say it’s my best season here for Arsenal. I had to play some games on the right which is not my favourite position but I can play there to help the team and I tried my best for the team while Bukayo Saka was out.

“There’s a month and a half to go if I’m not wrong and I will just try to build the momentum and the win in Madrid will give us confidence. We will go for it.

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“We’ve still got the league to play for, we will try to give our best to win the games and we’re not going to go to the games to draw or something like that. We want to win every single game that we play and just try to build momentum. A club like Arsenal has to win the biggest titles and, yeah, we’re going for it.”

Martinelli has been a big part of Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta’s revolution at the Emirates as his pace and threat on the left wing was a key factor in their two titles challenges before this season.

But it has felt like his progress has stalled this time as he missed a month through a hamstring injury, played on the right rather than his favoured slot on the left wing and his winner in the Bernabeu was only his eighth goal of the season and his first in three months.

That victory, however, has given Arsenal the belief they can go all the way in Europe this season as they face Paris Saint Germain in the semi final.

Martinelli said: “I think it was the biggest night of my career because scoring at the Bernabeu is amazing and I’m really happy with the performance of the team and the goal as well.

We are buzzing in the dressing room. We know what we did on the pitch, we tried our best and I think this team deserves it a lot.

“Since last year when we qualified for the Champions League, we knew we could do it. We know our qualities and the strength of the team that we have and we have amazing players so we have to go for it. We want to win it.”

Martinelli also says they are determined not to just give up on the Premier League either despite being 13 points behind leaders Liverpool.

Liverpool have the chance to wrap up the title this weekend if Arsenal lose at Ipswich and Arne Slot ’s table-toppers win at Leicester. Martinelli insists they cannot let that happen.

Martinelli said: “We have to believe and it’s not over yet. Of course it’s a big margin of points but we can’t give up. We’re not going to give up.

“We have the Champions League as well so we have to try to win every single game. But it’s the end of the season, we are in the semi finals and we are going to give everything.”

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