'WIN'S GIVEN US MORE BELIEF WE CAN CLAIM TITLE'

MARTINELLI IN BULLISH MOOD AS LATE WINNER ENDS CITY HOODOO AND PUTS ARSENAL JOINT-TOP OF TABLE

- Dan Kilpatrick

MATCH-WINNER Gabriel Martinelli says Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Manchester City has strengthened belief they can dethrone the champions this season — and he dedicated the result to the absent Bukayo Saka.

Martinelli’s deflected strike in the 86th minute earned Arsenal a first League win over City since 2015 and moved them joint-top of the table with north London rivals Tottenham.

A landmark result was all the more significant for coming without Saka, whose record-breaking run of 87 consecutive League appearances came to end after he was left out of the squad with a tight hamstring.

Asked if the result had increased belief Arsenal could win the title, Martinelli said: “Yes, of course. We are Arsenal and we are always believing about the title.

“But to win against a big side like them is great. We just need to carry on. We know how hard it is to play against them. It was a great performance from the team. When you play for Arsenal, you have to always believe, and this is what we do: we always believe we can win titles. It’s another season, we’re going to try to improve and do better than last season.”