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Mikel Arteta hails ‘brilliant’ Arne Slot for Gabriel Martinelli defence after Arsenal protect ‘reputation’ with FA Cup win in Portsmouth

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‘I must say…’ – Arteta praises Slot’s ‘brilliant’ defence of Martinelli after Bradley incident

Video credit: TNT Sports

Mikel Arteta says Macclesfield’s stunning FA Cup upset changed his Arsenal team talk in Portsmouth because it underlined the danger of suffering damage to “the club’s reputation.”

The Premier League leaders travelled to Fratton Park on high alert against their Championship opponents after witnessing astonishing scenes 24 hours earlier.

Macclesfield’s win over holders Crystal Palace was the biggest shock in FA Cup history in terms of the gap in places between two sides on the pyramid, the National League side sitting 117 places below their illustrious opponents.

Arsenal looked at risk of being the next high-profile casualty when they fell behind inside three minutes against Portsmouth but they fought back to win 4-1 thanks to a Gabriel Martinelli hat-trick.

Speaking to TNT Sports after the game, Arteta said that Macclesfield’s feat had been on his mind when asked by David James if it had forced him to change his team talk.

“Yes, but this is part of the history of this competition,” Arteta responded.

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Highlights: Martinelli hits hat-trick as Arsenal hit back to dismiss Portsmouth

Video credit: TNT Sports

“I have experienced it myself, I’ve been on both sides when it comes to these games. I think there is a lot to play (for).

“One thing is being in the next round, but another thing is your reputation and the club’s reputation. That’s a big one, and you have to play with that mindset when you play in these kinds of grounds.”

Martinelli was the hero for the Gunners and took home the match ball after netting three goals to seal his side’s place in the fourth round, the draw for which takes place Monday night on TNT Sports.
The Brazil international came in for criticism this week because of his reaction to Conor Bradley’s season-ending knee injury during Thursday’s Premier League draw against Liverpool.
Martinelli threw the ball at Bradley and attempted to push him off the pitch while the right-back was injured, but later apologised to the Liverpool defender and issued a public apology on social media.
Arteta was pleased with his player’s reaction to a difficult few days and then praised his Liverpool counterpart Arne Slot for how he dealt with the situation.
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Martinelli completes hat-trick as Arsenal score again from a corner

Video credit: TNT Sports

“I must say, I think the way Arne Slot spoke after the game was brilliant because he knows how the players feel about themselves, about the opposition, about their colleagues,” Arteta said.

“That exemplifies somebody who knows the game well and he’s in the position to make everybody understand how you feel about that and why you react in a certain way and that it’s not intentional whatsoever to damage a player or not to respect a player.”

A big bonus for Arsenal at Fratton Park was seeing Kai Havertz back on the pitch for the first time since the opening weekend of the season.

The Germany international has been out since August with a knee injury, but came off the bench for the final 20 minutes.

“The last few minutes I was just watching him move and his awareness, the way he (moves). He’s just a joy to watch,” said Arteta.

“We missed him big time, he’s back with us, and now we need to keep him fit because he’s a very important player for us.”

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Video credit: TNT Sports

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