The single pass that put Arsenal’s title challenge back on track
Chelsea 1-1 Arsenal (Neto 70′ | Martinelli 60′)
STAMFORD BRIDGE — All it took was an hour for Martin Odegaard to show precisely what Arsenal have been missing in recent perplexing months.
A game that was creeping into mediocrity blown open by a moment of brilliance – a stroke of quality that Arsenal had been unable to find in a season that has not gone as expected.
Both sides had barely conjured a shot on target until Odegaard, on the edge of the area, spotted the space and recognised the potential for Gabriel Martinelli to run into it then looped the ball over Chelsea’s defence with the sweep of his boot.
The ball found Martinelli perfectly at the back post, and the Brazilian controlled it well with one foot before slotting it inside Robert Sanchez’s near post with the other.
Odegaard, so essential to Arsenal’s previous title races and the epitome of this glorious new era, had not started a game since coming off against Brighton two months ago.
But after a couple of minutes from the bench against Inter Milan in midweek, he was deemed fit enough to start a game Arsenal badly needed not to lose, to avoid a concerning period of form setting in and taking hold.
Arsenal finally have their centre of gravity back. The singular force that balances all the variously weighted components around it.
Just as Manchester City are feeling the loss of Rodri, Arsenal have struggled without that crucial missing ingredient in Odegaard’s absence, winning only two of their last six games before his return on Sunday, and losing half of them.
It will be a relief for Mikel Arteta, whose side had been expected to provide the most viable challenge to City’s Premier League dominance once again, only to fail to capitalise on City’s shocking form, see Liverpool pull away as early leaders and watch nervously as Chelsea start to find the sort of rhythm, after a chaotic few seasons, that could yet see them become surprise contenders.
In a season of surprises and fine margins, defeat would have left Arsenal seventh, behind Nottingham Forest and Brighton. By no means cause for outright panic, at this stage, but almost a quarter of the way into the season it would have left a significant 10-point gap with Liverpool at the top, the point leaving only a slightly more palatable nine.
Instead, they remain in the top four – giving them that slight psychological boost when the alternative could have gnawed away at a team during the two-week international break that now stretches before them.
Odegaard had yet to record a direct assist in the Premier League this season, having played only three games, but it was his 11th since August 2023, and only Bukayo Saka, with 16, has set up more for Arsenal in that time. Assist statistics should be handled with caution, yet it still provides a rough gauge of Odegaard’s creative importance.
Against Chelsea, he created four chances and two key chances – more than any other player on a pitch full of supremely talented footballers, and finished the game with 91 per cent successful passes. A phenomenal list of individual achievements after so long out.
Gabriel Martinelli with CONVICTION! 😤 pic.twitter.com/BUfke8F4PM
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) November 10, 2024
And there is every reason his return can coincide with Arsenal piecing back together the remains of their form to put together a series of performances in the remainder of the year to leave them still fighting in the second half of the season.
Even in this relative dip, Arsenal are yet to lose against a Big Six side in 14 games. And Manchester United, at the start of December, are the only one in that category they face in the next nine Premier League games, taking them into mid-January.
With the mood starting to sour around the club, Odegaard could not have returned sooner.
