Paul Merson Criticizes Martinelli's Position in Arsenal vs. Fulham Match

Former Arsenal player Paul Merson harshly criticizes Gabriel Martinelli after the draw with Fulham, highlighting the forward's mistakes.

Paul Merson expressed dissatisfaction with Arsenal forward Gabriel Martinelli's actions after a 1-1 draw with Fulham on Sunday. Mikel Arteta's team failed to secure a victory against their London rivals. The match began with Raul Jimenez scoring for Marco Silva's side, followed by William Saliba equalizing. Arsenal pushed for a win in the final minutes, and in the 88th minute, Bukayo Saka's goal seemed to seal the victory but was ruled out for offside.

Meanwhile, league leaders Liverpool did not play as their derby with Everton was postponed. Arsenal now trails Arne Slot's team by six points with a game in hand. In the ruled-out goal, Saka finished after being set up by Martinelli, who had drifted offside.

Former Arsenal player Merson was displeased with Martinelli's actions, calling it 'criminal.' 'He went offside, and in football terms that's unacceptable,' said Merson. 'He's fast, energetic and shouldn’t have needed to gain extra meters. He could have stepped back. I'd be surprised if the manager didn't have some words in the dressing room. Even he knew. You could see it on his face. You can't go offside like that,' Merson added.

In his post-match interview, Arteta voiced disappointment at Arsenal not receiving the reward for their positive performance against Fulham. 'Very disappointed not to win,' said Arteta. 'We dominated throughout, but unfortunately conceded from one shot. The team's reaction was great, but we didn't get the reward.'