Arsenal put on a spellbinding show during their 3-1 win over Chelsea on Tuesday night in order to keep their Premier League title dream alive.
And not for the first time this season, it was Martin Odegaard who was the Gunners' conductor-in-chief.
The Norwegian midfielder broke the deadlock in style after just 18 minutes with a rasping drive that kissed the bottom off the crossbar on its way past Kepa Arrizabalaga. And Odegaard bagged his second on the half-hour mark after ghosting into the Chelsea area and sweeping majestically beyond the Blues goalkeeper.
Gabriel Jesus compounded Chelsea's misery just minutes later. And although Noni Madueke reduced the arrears just past the hour, Arsenal spent the majority of the evening on cruise control after their first-half flurry.
Odegaard's imperious form has been at the crux of Arsenal's title challenge this term. The 24-year-old has gone from strength to strength this season after being named the club's new captain - just as Mikel Arteta predicted he would.
Speaking back in April 2022, Arteta hinted that he and his coaching team had been working hard behind the scenes with Odegaard to improve the midfield schemer's game. In an interview with Norwegian outlet TV2, Arteta said of discussions with his captain: “It is private and personal things. It's conversations we had about his job. It's an opinion me and the other coaches had to make the player maximise his potential.
“What we are working on now, you will see in three or six months. What Martin is doing now, you can't yet see on the pitch. We will see it in three months, six months or a year.”
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The Spaniard's words have certainly rung true this term: Odegaard has now chalked up an astounding 14 goals and eight assists in all competitions this term. Those figures are a marked improvement on the 12-goal contributions (seven goals, five assists) he managed last year.
Regardless of whether or not Arsenal can go on and pip Manchester City to the Premier League crown, Odegaard has established himself as one of the top-flight's most complete attacking midfielders this season.
He has certainly flourished under the guidance of Arteta, who he paid tribute to earlier this season. Odeaard told TV2:2 "It has surprised me, actually, how detail-oriented he [Arteta] and the whole team are. I’ve never encountered anything like it, with people who see football that way and who see details as specifically as he does.
“It can be simple little things or more big things. It’s extremely detailed and a lot of little things we talk about, watching video after every game and all that. It’s fun working with him and the team. It works.”
