Norway and Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard speaks on what the victory against Newcastle means
A Martin Odegaard-led performance powered Arsenal to victory against a high-flying Newcastle team, and the Norwegian captain has drawn comparisons with the last time they turned up at St James's Park.
The Gunners won 2-0 at a difficult away ground to keep their title hopes alive, while Newcastle faltered in their bid to strengthen their hold on third place.
What Odegaard said
The 24-year-old opened the scoring in the 14th minute of the game before Fabian Schar's own goal in the 71st minute sealed a crucial victory for the visitors.
The last time Arsenal visited the Tyneside club was not as rosy, however, as they suffered a crushing 2-0 defeat that hampered their top-four chances last season.
Odegaard was on the pitch that day, and he admitted that match was one of the toughest he had played in his career. He views the victory today as a sign of an improved mentality.
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"We showed something special here today. To come here and win is not easy,” Odegaard said, per the BBC.
“We had to be very smart and to be ugly at times. It is a big step for a young team like ours to come here and do the things we did. It shows we have come a long way.
"Last year here was one of the toughest days of my career, to be honest. After dropping points against Man City, to win against Chelsea and then come here and win shows the mentality.
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“We have to keep going and digging in and fight until the end. It is football, anything can happen and we need to be ready."
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