The Gunners’ captain led by example with a sublime performance at Emirates Stadium, returning to his very best after a disrupted start to the season due to a recurring shoulder injury, with a Player of the Match performance.
Odegaard was also denied a goal of his own by a brilliant save from Konstantinos Tzolakis, which would have capped a performance that had both Owen Hargreaves and Martin Keown purring.
“In the first half, he was the best player by a country mile, at his absolute best, technically, passing, first touch, helped create the first goal, he left no question that he is still the star player at the moment for this team,” Hargreaves told TNT Sports.
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Squad depth and competition is healthy for Arsenal, says Odegaard
Video credit: TNT Sports
“That is probably as good as he can play. He was like a surgeon, he was so precise with everything and when he plays like that, he is just a joy to watch.
“The goal is all him, the touch and the weight of that pass is absolutely fabulous.”
Arsenal legend Keown compared Odegaard’s performance to another former Gunners star Liam Brady, who won the 1979 FA Cup at the club.
“A real repertoire of passes, for those of us that can remember Liam Brady, I was seeing moments of flashbacks to all those days ago, when we saw Liam Brady drilling passes across the pitch, full of confidence,” Keown said.
“The thing that stood out for me was taking fewer touches but being more effective; they were getting through the midfield much quicker than normal, and then they could not reset and Arsenal could go on the attack.”
Odegaard’s team-leading four key passes highlighted his attacking intent, something he admitted is his “job” in the team.
“It was nice to be back. I feel like I have not played much this season. To be honest, it is probably only the United game, I have missed it and it is good to be back. I felt good, and good win,” he told TNT Sports.
“That is what I want to do (create), especially when you have those players up front and especially with Viktor, he is so aggressive and always a threat, so that is my job, to create things for them. In the end, I got the assist and could have had a few more and scored a goal, but we got the win and it was good, so I enjoyed it.”
It was not just Keown and Hargreaves who particularly enjoyed Odegaard’s performance at Emirates Stadium, but more importantly, his manager, Mikel Arteta.
“He was phenomenal,” Arteta said, after his 299th match as Arsenal boss.
“I think he plays the game in a manner that is very important for us because he continued to play forward, carrying the ball, putting people through on goal.
“He made some big chances for his team-mates, he should have scored a goal as well, so very good to have him back at this level.”
