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The Gunners captain scored twice in the opening half-hour in the North London side’s 3-1 success over Frank Lampard’s men to end a four-game winless run.
Last week’s Premier League action saw one Norwegian’s performance make Manchester City title favourites, but gameweek 34 concluded with another Norway international suggesting Arsenal are not about to admit defeat.
Erling Haaland’s showing at the Etihad Stadium extended the Gunners’ winless league run to four matches, prompting observers to favour Pep Guardiola’s troops for a fifth crown in six seasons.
But Martin Odegaard responded with an influential showing of his in Tuesday’s 3-1 success over egregious Chelsea.
That 4-1 reverse in Manchester was disappointing for two reasons: defeat meant the Gunners no longer control their destiny in the title race despite being ahead for most of the campaign. And perhaps doubly gutting was that Mikel Arteta’s men failed to show the best version of themselves at the Etihad.
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09:15 - 27.04.2023
PREMIER LEAGUE Seven stats showing just how awful Arsenal were against Manchester City
Kevin De Bruyne's two goals and one each from John Stones and Erling Haaland were enough for City to outshine the Gunners.
Arsenal’s Plan A is coherent enough to take on any opponent, but Guardiola’s team were rampant on the night, and the away side’s system was no match against the defending champions.
Indeed, they needed to show something different when cross-town rivals Chelsea rocked up at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday.
Two goals in the opening half-hour was great, but three in 34 minutes meant the game was effectively won before half-time. That was just what the doctor ordered.
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07:14 - 03.05.2023
Arsenal vs Chelsea: 5 major observations as Gunners undress Blues
Arsenal remain in the title race after they banished the ghost of their heavy defeat at the Etihad with a comfortable thrashing of Chelsea at the Emirates.
Odegaard, one of the underwhelming performers last Thursday, was the catalyst for success on the night, scoring twice with two shots on target that materialised from identical situations.
Picked out superbly by Granit Xhaka, the Arsenal captain finished with aplomb on both occasions to raise the roof in North London.
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The first saw him signal Xhaka with a raised arm before briefly creating separation from Mateo Kovacic to beat Kepa Arrizabalaga with an attempt that went in off the bar. His second saw him ghost past an unaware Raheem Sterling to finish from 12 yards.
Both strikes take the Norwegian to 14 Premier League goals in an incredible 2022-23 campaign, putting him one behind Cesc Fabregas’s 15 strikes in the 2009-10 season.
Throw in Odegaard’s seven assists, and the attacking midfielder outdoes all but Bukayo Saka (24) for goal contributions for the North Londoners.
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Arteta’s men have spread the goals around this term, but the 24-year-old, Saka and Gabriel Martinelli (20) have all been involved in 20 contributions or more this season. No other team in England’s top flight have that many players in that bracket.
Admittedly, Chelsea’s broader problems and overly passive approach without possession meant Arsenal were likely to have control on Tuesday. But Arteta’s troops still needed to impose themselves on Frank Lampard’s dreadful side after last week’s disappointment.
“We came out, and we showed a different spirit, a different team to last time,” Odegaard told Sky Sports at full time.
“Everyone was so hurt after the game, and we used this anger and the disappointment to get into this game and really bounce back, and I thought we did that, especially in the first half.
“I think you can lose games, but the way we lost…we didn’t play our game, and we weren’t ourselves. That’s the most painful, and that’s why we wanted to show a different side today.”
The Gunners’ second half was “messy”, according to their skipper, and a second Blues goal late on might have set up a grandstand finish at the Emirates, but that would have been undeserved after such a dominant first-half performance.
While Odegaard was one of several disappointments at the Etihad, the Norwegian’s contribution to Arsenal’s run-in has gone under the radar. The 24-year-old was involved in three goals — two goals, one assist — in April and has started May emphatically with that Chelsea double.
Odegaard doubled the North London side’s advantage at West Ham United in the dispiriting 2-2 draw and, importantly, instigated the late fightback in the 3-3 Southampton tie when all hope seemed lost, and some Gooners had departed the Emirates early.
Maybe the title chasers should not have put themselves in a position where they chased the game against the competition’s cellar dwellers, but the spirit of their Norwegian was palpable when heads slumped.
A decisive display against Chelsea after Arsenal’s defeat by City was desirable under the circumstances, and Odegaard delivered and then some.
“Three points and a good win for us, and we needed this one to get back a bit,” the captain asserted.
Arsenal are no longer the favourite in this title race, but beating Chelsea shows they will not collapse or give in without making an all-out effort to outdo Guardiola’s City in the closing weeks.
Arteta would demand nothing less.
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07:15 - 03.05.2023
PREMIER LEAGUE Team of Week 34: Odegaard sinks Chelsea, Brighton’s dominance, Iwobi takes responsibility
Following every round of Premier League fixtures, Pulse Sports presents the most impressive performers of the matchday.
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