Martinelli enjoys redemption story as Arsenal put Sporting to the sword

Arsenal made easy work of Sporting CP as they left Lisbon with all three points to kick-start their Champions League campaign.

Three goals before half-time did the damage, the first time they have scored three away goals in a European tie since Mikel Arteta's first season in charge. Goncalo Inacio threatened to make it a game just after the restart but a Bukayo Saka penalty restored the three-goal lead before Leandro Trossard scored the fifth for the visitors.

It was Arsenal's first away win in the Champions League in more than a year, the last coming against Sevilla in October 2023. It also helped them lay the ghosts of their Europa League exit against Sporting a few months earlier.

Both teams now have 10 points from five European matches, with automatic qualification for the round of 16 still possible. With two of the last three games on home soil, Arteta's men will make the most of their chances.

It took less than seven minutes for Arsenal to take the lead. A few quick passes down the Gunners' right created space for Jurrien Timber, and his low cross found Gabriel Martinelli free at the back post to tap home.

One became two just after twenty minutes, with more success on the right. This time it was Bukayo Saka who beat the offside trap and Kai Havertz who rolled the ball in from close range.

Gabriel headed in Declan Rice's corner just seconds before half-time, leaving Sporting with a mountain to climb. Inacio gave hope, but it was quickly extinguished when Ousmane Diomande went through the back of Martin Odegaard and Saka made no mistake from the spot.

It was an important win for the visitors after taking just one point from their first two European away games, and Trossard made it absolutely safe when he smashed home the rebound after Mikel Merino's effort had been parried. Here are Mirror Football's talking points from the victory declaration.

While Manchester City were punished for missed chances at the Alvalade earlier this month, Arsenal made no such mistake. Not only that, but they also benefited from the kind of goals that have given Pep Guardiola's side their bread and butter in recent years.

An overload down the wing, followed by a cutback leaving a free attacker with a simple finish. Not once but twice, and Sporting had no answer.

It almost happened for the third time before half-time, with Kai Havertz collecting a ball between Martin Odegaard's lines from inches away. But in the end they went for a goal that was more typical of their own style: a header from a Rice corner.

When Arsenal and Sporting met in the 2022/23 Europa League, Gabriel Martinelli became the villain of the piece. His penalty was saved by Antonio Adan in a shoot-out defeat in north London, sending the Portuguese side through at the expense of Mikel Arteta's men.

If that was on his mind at first, that quickly changed. He won't have too many easier results this season, but he still had to be in the right spot to meet Timber's low cross.

The Brazilian has not been an automatic choice this season and his goal tally is below his previously high standards. However, this goal was vintage Martinelli and he hopes it can spur him on to do more.

Some eyebrows were raised as Arsenal fans watched Mikel Arteta's weekend squad. However, those players had more than enough to beat Nottingham Forest, giving others a break.

Martinelli was one of those who got rest this weekend, and he made it count. It also looked like a fresh team overall, with Arteta perhaps recognizing the importance of a fast start.

The flurry of goals also allowed Arteta to rest some of his players early, with Odegaard and Rice in particular benefiting from staying fresh. Next up for Arsenal is a trip to West Ham, who may have hoped to face a more tired opponent.

William Saliba has felt part of the furniture at Arsenal for so long that it is difficult to remember a time when he was not a regular in the side. It may seem strange, but he only made his first senior appearance less than two and a half years ago and now has 100 first-team appearances to his name.

More than three-quarters of those came in the league, including all 38 last season. This was his 19th appearance in Europe, and his first against Sporting since suffering the injury that curtailed his 2022-2023 season.

He put that memory behind him and collected the potentially dangerous Viktor Gyokeres. The win was Saliba's 65th in 100 Arsenal outings, making him only the sixth player in the team's history to win as many during that first century of matches.

Going into Tuesday's match, Arsenal had failed to score in any of their last four away games in the Champions League. It almost cost them against Porto in the round of 16 last season, and then against Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals, as Thomas Tuchel's team followed a 2-2 draw in the first leg with a 1-0 win in Bavaria.

Although the goalless draw against Atalanta wasn't the most inspiring display this season, the Gunners looked good value for a goal at San Siro as they lost 1-0 to Inter. In short, many felt that the barren flight was unlikely to last too long.

You have to go all the way back to 2008, when Arsenal last scored five times on a European away day. They certainly brought that with them before kick-off.