Arsenal do enough to beat Ipswich but are no closer to solving the problem of their star attacker’s injury absence
In the north London mist, Arsenal came no closer to stumbling upon a temporary heir to their starboy. This was ultimately an exercise in doing the necessary, making sure realistic hope of a title challenge extended towards the season’s second half and overcoming a well-coached but impotent Ipswich. Yet if the hope had been that it would offer a window into a prolonged run without Bukayo Saka, the wait for answers will now drift into early 2025.
The pre-match hype had centred on Gabriel Martinelli, moved across from his usual left-sided perch upon Saka’s injury at Selhurst Park and quickly settling down with a goal in that thrashing. Martinelli is an explosive yet mercurial talent; the darkest fears during his more barren stretches concern whether, at 23, his ceiling may not be far off. But here was a chance to prove he could be the man to deputise over a longer stretch: at least two months, as Mikel Arteta explained afterwards. On the face of things, Ipswich were ideal fodder against whom to state the case.
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