Arsenal have progressed to the fourth round of the FA Cup following a 4-1 dismantling of Portsmouth.
A sensational hat trick from forward, Gabriel Martineli, helped the side beat the Championship club and advance into the next round of the competition in the quest to win the trophy they last won in 2020 for the record 14th time.
After shocking wins for Wrexham and Macclesfield earlier in the weekend, Arsenal, who made 10 changes to their starting line-up, fell to an Colby Bishop goal for Portsmouth after just three minutes of the encounter, but Arsenal ensured their pedigree as they were only behind for five minutes before Christian Norgaard forced the ball in via Portsmouth’s Andre Dozzell after a trademark Gunners corner to level.
Norgaard’s goal settled the visitors down and they took the lead from another set-piece when Martinelli flicked a Noni Madueke’s corner into the net after 25 minutes.
Maduke had a chance to add a third from the penalty spot after he was brought down by Zak Swanson but the England international missed his kick, after which Martinelli, who also hit the post and missed a good chance in the first half, added a third from Gabriel Jesus’ assist .
The Brazilian then grabbed his third from another Arsenal corner when the forward flicked a header on from the near post and into the net.
The game at Franton Park on Saturday opens a spree of four away games in four different competitions for the Gunners as they aim to win silverware in the ongoing campaign.
Arsenal take on Chelsea in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg on Wednesday while Portsmouth continue their Championship campaign Saturday against Sheffield Wednesday
