Who was Man Of The Match? Martin Odegaard
Martin Odegaard’s decision to leave Real Madrid and join The Gunners on a permanent basis appears to be paying off. The Norwegian international, who spent several months on loan at Emirates last season, has gradually established himself as a key figure at Arsenal. He was instrumental in their second win of the season, which came against Burnley on the road this weekend. He was also named man of the match after scoring a sublime free kick. His contribution was actually not only seen in the attacking buildup, but also in defence. Odegaard made crucial tackles, clearance as well as blocked the opponent’s shots throughout the game. The 22-year old midfielder is ready to assist Arsenal in grabbing much needed points to improve their campaign this season.
The Gunners’ victory in the previous outing gave them more confidence to pick up another victory here, especially considering The Clarets’ unimpressive start. However, Mikel Arteta who opted to deploy 4-1-4-1 formation, instead of 4-2-3-1, still had a hard time to break the deadlock from the open play against Sean Dyche’s men who always employed 4-4-2 formation. Arsenal had to rely on a set piece for their second win of the season which bumps them up in the league standings.
Find out more in details about Odegaard’s stats below:
Rating: 7.88
Minutes played: 90
Pass accuracy %: 86.9
Goal contribution: 1 goals
Shots (on target): 2(1)
Dribbles: 1
Touches: 74
Crosses (accurate crosses): 1
Key Passes: 2
Tackles: 2
Clearances: 1
Blocked shots: 1
The home side, on the other hand, should be sorry as they deserved at least one point at home. Their back line led by England international James Tarkowski was quite solid apart from the concesion by Odegaard’s free kick. Tarkowski’s commanding personality, combined with his strong physical stature, made him far superior in aerial duel, interceptions, and clearance, something you could expect from a centre back. Unfortunately, Burnley’s lack of prolific striker upfront cost their result.
Check out more about Tarkowski’s stats below:
Rating: 7.06
Minutes played: 90
Pass accuracy %: 73.3
Shots (on target): 1
Dribbles: 1
Touches: 58
Aerial duels won: 5
Tackles: 1
Interceptions: 4
Clearances: 4
Blocked shots: 1
MyMOTM 