Martin Odegaard’s brace helps Arsenal edge past Wolves by 2-0
Odegaard scores twice as irrepressible Arsenal maintains its lead in the league heading into the World Cup.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta believes everyone is amazed by the Gunners’ five-point lead at the top of the Premier League, but he is adamant that his players enjoy their present high status.
Martin Odegaard’s second-half double in Arsenal’s win against Wolves was enough to capitalize on Manchester City’s unexpected defeat to Brentford and ensure the Gunners will be top on Christmas Day for the first time since 2007.
It is a significant accomplishment for a club that has not placed higher than fifth place since 2016.
Odegaard converted Fabio Vieira’s low cross from close range 10 minutes into the second half, and then smashed in the rebound after Jose Sa had saved Gabriel Martinelli’s low effort 15 minutes from time.
It guaranteed there would be no slip-ups for the Gunners, who watched City lose on the team bus as they traveled to the Midlands and cheered when Ivan Toney scored in injury time.
Adding the icing to the cake.
The other outcomes, more than Arsenal’s win against Wolves, made the Arsenal family proud. Da Silva and Joe Willock from Hale End contributed to their teams’ victories over Manchester City and local rivals Chelsea while playing for Brentford and Newcastle, respectively.
Willock’s screamer to the far post and Da Silva’s low cross in the final moments under extreme pressure ensured that City and Chelsea went home empty-handed.
You could always rely on the boys from the hale end.
Arsenal’s compactness.
Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta combines like City and counter presses like peak Liverpool. Because each zone is occupied, regardless of which player is in it, the structure allows for short passing distances, allowing for both reliable combination play and compactness.
Keep in mind that this is the league’s youngest team. We are now seeing greatness.
Good news about Granit.
Arsenal and Switzerland fans can now breathe a profound sigh of relief as Arteta said that Granit Xhaka’s first-half exit was due to a sickness bug that afflicted the visitors prior to kick-off, rather than anything that would jeopardize the Switzerland player’s World Cup chances.
Trust the process.
