Arsenal just snatched a massive 2-1 win against Chelsea, and while Kai Havertz was twisting necks and Bukayo Saka was doing everything but score, the real story, the one that’s going to have the whole league talking, is Martin Odegaard. This dude was absolutely locked in on Sunday, dazzling on the field and proving once again why he’s so crucial for the Gunners.
The Grumbles Are Gone
Man, talk about a comeback! Last season, the grumbling around Odegaard was a real thing. It broke containment from social media, with fans at Emirates Stadium letting out those exasperated sighs when he dropped too deep, too often. You almost saw their point, too. This is a guy who, in 2024-25 and 2025-26, was one of the Premier League’s better pure creators, a volume passer and progressor, running a press with the efficiency of a union organizer. If you held him to the standard of his contemporaries, he was clearly superior. But against *his own* standards? That’s where the discord hit. We’re talking about arguably the best creator in the league, a conductor of press, progression, and passing, and a volume scorer.
In the 2022-23 title challenge, he was getting in the spots to hit a hot streak, delivering 15 goals off almighty xG overperformance. His shot volume was wild: 53 shots one year, then 93, then 77. But last season, when Arsenal won the title, he was down at 49 shots, with his volume per 90 dropping below two, having previously been well clear. He averaged fewer shots per 90 than a defensive midfielder like Christian Norgaard or left back Riccardo Calafiori! That’s when the xG drop-off really set in, and the grumbles about his final third contribution started to roar. The good news? It all looks like a case of injuries robbing him of his oomph, and guess what? That oomph is back.
Odegaard The Scorer Is Back
Forget the one goal Odegaard scored *all season* last time out. We’re only a few weeks into this new season, and he’s already scored the same goal *twice*! For the winner against Chelsea today, you can read the third goal in that absolute drubbing of Manchester City in Cardiff. Picture it: Christos Tzolis driving in from the left, Kai Havertz drawing all the attention with a dummy run, and Odegaard making that late run, giving him the time to take a breath and pierce the ball right past the goalkeeper.
Add to that a scruffier finish against Coventry, surrounded by those same two teammates, and you start to see it. Odegaard the scorer is undeniably back. The early season statistics are backing it up big time, too, with 13 touches in the game against Chelsea alone, showing he’s involved and dangerous. If this version of Odegaard, the one who looks like the true conductor and a volume scorer, is here to stay, Arsenal is gonna be a massive problem for every team that steps on the pitch with them this season.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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