ARSENAL boss Mikel Arteta was left raging and had to drag Gabriel Martinelli back ON to the pitch to receive treatment during their win over West Ham.
The 20-year-old forward went down with cramp off the side of the field in the 81st minute, next to where his manager was standing.
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But Arteta was not happy with his player as he wanted Martinelli to go down on the pitch so the game would be stopped.
And the Spaniard took matters into his own hands by pulling the Brazilian up off the floor before letting him fall back down the other side of the white line.
The gamesmanship from Arteta and Martinelli was something which angered a number of people on social media.
One football fan said: “Arsenal clearly the better team, but they spend so much time diving, rolling, complaining. Shame for those talented kids.”
While another added: “Yeah let’s all laugh at cheating. What is actually going on in football now?”
Aside from Martinelli’s antics towards the end of the game, he also played a crucial part in the Gunners’ win over the Hammers.
The Brazilian gave his side the lead three minutes into the second half, racing onto Alexandre Lacazette’s through ball to curl home the opening goal of the game.
And Emile Smith Rowe doubled Arsenal’s advantage late on with a low drive from the edge of the penalty area.
That came with the Hammers down to ten men after Vladimir Coufal gave away a penalty and was controversially sent off.
Alexandre Lacazette saw his attempt saved by Lukasz Fabianski, but Smith Rowe’s goal saw the North London outfit now move above West Ham and into fourth place in the Premier League for the first time this season.
And Arteta was thrilled with his side’s performance as they followed up the win over Southampton with another victory.
He even singled out Martinelli for special praise following a superb goal – his second of the season.
Analysing the strike, the Arsenal boss said: “It was a great goal, the first one.
“That is what Gabby can do, he is always a threat in behind – these spaces are really good for him to exploit.”
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