Arsenal do enough to overcome Ipswich but are no closer to fixing the problem of their top player’s injury absence.

Gabriel Martinelli fails his audition as the search begins for Bukayo Saka’s heir.

Arsenal do enough to overcome Ipswich but are no closer to fixing the problem of their top player’s injury absence.In the north London mist, Arsenal got no closer to finding a temporary successor to their best player. This was essentially an exercise in doing what was necessary, extending realistic title hopes into the second part of the season and defeating a well-coached but ineffectual Ipswich team. However, if the goal had been that it would provide a glimpse into a longer run without Bukayo Saka, the wait for answers will now extend until early 2025.

The pre-match buzz had centered on Gabriel Martinelli, who was switched over from his customary left-sided position at Selhurst Park due to Saka’s injury and swiftly settled in with a goal in the thrashing. Martinelli is an explosive yet erratic talent; the deepest worries during his more barren spells are that, at 23, his ceiling may not be far away. But here was an opportunity for him to demonstrate that he could deputise for at least two months, as Mikel Arteta later explained. On the surface, Ipswich seemed like a great target against which to make a case.

Arteta was aware of Kieran McKenna’s team’s vulnerability along the sides, as they were humiliated by Newcastle on Saturday. Their left-back, Leif Davis, has a tendency to take such an aggressive starting position that opponents are left with a wide opening to exploit should things go wrong. Any mistakes would undoubtedly delight Martinelli, who lacks Saka’s subtlety but knows how to carve a path into those gaps and signal the way ahead for Arsenal’s rebalanced assault.

In the end, there was another instance where finesse and flair would have been preferable than mere speed. For 45 minutes, Ipswich remained close and conservative, with Davis venturing up the pitch only to produce a deflected first-minute cross that Sammie Szmodics failed to convert. Martinelli got the better of his opponent shortly after, eventually earning a corner, but moments of elation were few and far between in the next hour and a half.

Midway through the first half, Ipswich’s resistance was broken by a moment of penetration from the opposite side, with Leandro Trossard easily past Ben Johnson before delivering the cross, which Kai Havertz converted. Martinelli may play a part after a defender’s head glanced his deep throw to the Belgian. But he was limited after that, with Davis winning one-on-ones and getting the ball across the byline in one final duel right before halftime.