Cole makes glowing comparison between Arsenal's Martinelli and Henry

Joe Cole heaped praise on Arsenal starlet Gabriel Martinelli after his goal in the 2-0 win over West Ham on Wednesday night - with the ex- Chelsea ace comparing Martinelli to Gunners legend Thierry Henry.

Martinelli fired Mikel Arteta 's side into the lead early in the second half against the Hammers before Emile Smith Rowe netted late on.

The result propels Arsenal above West Ham in the Premier League table, with the Gunners now sitting fourth and occupying that coveted final Champions League spot.

Much of the talk before the game was fixated on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang being stripped of the Arsenal captaincy.

But it was another showstopping display from Martinelli that had people talking on Wednesday night - including BT Sport pundit Cole, who saw shades of Henry in his performance.

HAVE YOUR SAY! Can Martinelli step up and fill the boots of Aubameyang for Arsenal? Let us know in the comments here

Henry is Arsenal's all-time leading scorer with 174 goals and is idolised in north London.

Cole said after the game: "Defender, no chance. That's an unbelievable finish, it reminds me of a certain number fourteen who use to play here a few years ago.

"Great finish and, again, young, vibrant. Lacazette dropping in that pocket, he'll be loving life. He'll be thinking, 'give me more of this, these young lads running round me, buzzing round."

The 20-year-old is currently enjoying one of his best runs in the Arsenal team since Arteta took the reins back in December 2019.

Martinelli now has two goals and two assists in his last five league games - and his form could hardly come at a better time for Arteta following his decision to ostracise Aubameyang.

The 32-year-old is seemingly out in the cold at the Emirates after a string of poor performances in front of goal this season and a disciplinary breach.

But in his absence, the Gunners young stars continued to shine.

Smith Rowe's late strike saw him join Aubameyang at the top of the Gunners scoring charts with seven goals.

Smith Rowe and fellow Hale End graduate Bukayo Saka have been at the heart of Arsenal's revival under Arteta.

And it now looks as though Martinelli is primed to be the next academy star to shine at the Emirates this season.

Despite moving into fourth spot, Arteta conceded that he wasn't satisfied with the Gunners' current league standing.

"It's better than where we were, but we want to be higher. This league is ruthless," the Spaniard said.

He added: "[I am] really pleased with the performance; the attitude the commitment, the quality that we showed in the game.

"It's really important because it sets the tone of the team against a good side who it's difficult to dominate.

"The players play for the club and the pride that we expect from them.

"I was really happy from the beginning, because we knew that we had to play really good today to beat West Ham."