"Gabriel Martinelli started the sequence when he came off the bench to open the scoring in Arsenal's 2-0 Champions League win at Athletic Bilbao last month. He continued it when he came on again in their next game to conjure the stoppage-time equaliser against Manchester City in the Premier League. And together with everyone at Arsenal, not least Mikel Arteta, who has not stopped talking about the importance of finishers, he can luxuriate in how it has grown."
"Game numbers 41-45 of the fabled 49-match unbeaten league run were marked by goals, in wins, from players who came on as substitutes Robert Pires (twice), Jose Antonio Reyes (twice) and Dennis Bergkamp. Martinelli and Saka on the money as Arsenal sweep Olympiakos aside Some replacements, right? The point is that arguably the greatest squad in club history had enviable depth and those were the days when only three substitutions were allowed."
Gabriel Martinelli initiated a run of match-changing substitute goals by scoring after coming off the bench in a 2-0 Champions League win at Athletic Bilbao and then producing a stoppage-time equaliser against Manchester City. Bukayo Saka later scored the clinching goal in a 2-0 Champions League victory over Olympiakos, marking five straight matches with goals from Arsenal replacements. Other contributors included Leandro Trossard and Mikel Merino. The sequence evokes Arsenal's 2004-05 Invincibles era, highlighting the squad's depth and the value of impact players amid injury setbacks and a tough early-season fixture list.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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