'Totally incapable': BBC pundit says £25m Tottenham player was torn to pieces by Arsenal star
03/10/2022 09:00
Garth Crooks has said Emerson Royal was simply unable to cope with Gabriel Martinelli in the North London Derby on Saturday, with the Brazilian receiving a red card for a tackle on the Arsenal winger.
Writing for BBC Sport, the pundit claimed that the former FC Barcelona star struggled all game with his Brazilian counterpart as Martinelli tormented Emerson for much of the match, with the Tottenham defender eventually being handed a red card by Anthony Taylor for a vicious tackle on the 21-year-old Arsenal star.
Martinelli was one of Arsenal’s best players on the day against Tottenham as the forward assisted Granit Xhaka’s second-half strike to deal the three points for the Gunners, with Emerson now expected to endure a lengthy suspension for his straight red card at the Emirates Stadium.
The win saw Arsenal maintain their place at the top of the Premier League table, with the result also meaning Antonio Conte’s side have tasted defeat domestically for the first time this season, with the Gunners able to exploit many of Spurs’ weaknesses.
Indeed, it was quite the statement from Arsenal to take their north London rivals to the cleaners in such a convincing fashion. And for Crooks, Emerson’s dismissal was a key turning point in the match, with the pundit stating that the defender just couldn’t deal with Martinelli.
Crooks said about Martinelli’s performance and Emerson’s sending-off: “What was equally disturbing was Conte’s lack of ability to see that Emerson Royal was totally incapable of dealing with the threat of Gabriel Martinelli and his sending-off ultimately cost Spurs the match.”
Emerson’s red card handed Arsenal the win against Tottenham
Emerson has endured a weird career at Tottenham since his reported £25m move to north London last summer. Yet if there was ever a moment in Saturday’s Premier League headliner that decided the result, it was the Brazilian’s sending-off in the second half.
Arsenal might have been leading at this stage of the match, but Emerson’s dangerous tackle on Martinelli has his duly deserved red card all but guaranteed the win for Arteta’s side, once again bringing the north London bragging rights back to the red half of the city.
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