Arsenal's Martinelli shrugs off backlash with treble in win at Portsmouth

Arsenal secured a place in the fourth round of the FA Cup with a 4-1 away victory over Portsmouth on Sunday, overcoming an early scare. The Championship side stunned the Gunners by taking the lead just three minutes into the game through Colby Bishop, but Arsenal hit back immediately. Christian Norgaard equalized two minutes later, and Gabriel Martinelli—who had faced flak over an incident involving injured Liverpool defender Conor Bradley in a prior match—scored the first of his three goals to put Arsenal ahead. Martinelli netted two more in the second half to complete his hat-trick, wrapping up a convincing win.

In other FA Cup fixtures, Leeds United booked their spot in the fourth round with a 3-1 comeback win against Derby County. After trailing to a first-half strike from Ben Brereton Díaz, Leeds turned the tide in the second half. Willy Gnonto equalized in the 55th minute, with Joel Piroe playing a pivotal role in the buildup despite seeing a penalty saved earlier. Leeds then scored two more goals to seal the victory, extending their impressive recent form of losing only once in their last nine games.

The report points out that Darren Fletcher is looking to bolster his case for retaining the role as Manchester United's interim manager with a win over Brighton, keeping the club's trophy aspirations alive this season.

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