Bukayo Saka stepped up and had a massive impact for Arsenal as they battled to a 3-2 victory over Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday afternoon.
Although Tottenham had their chances, Arsenal were the only side to find a clinical edge in the first half as they notched up a 3-0 lead in the North London derby.
How Bukayo Saka stepped up for Arsenal against Tottenham Hotspur
The Gunners broke the deadlock with 15 minutes on the clock when Bukayo Saka whipped a wicked corner kick delivery into the near post area. Under pressure from Takehiro Tomiyasu, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg could only glance the ball into the back of his own net.
Just over ten minutes later, Mikel Arteta’s side the won the ball back on the edge of their own penalty area, and Kai Havertz was able to set Saka loose with a long-range switch of play. The winger brought the ball under his spell with an exquisite first touch before driving towards the Spurs goal.
The Hale End academy graduate then cut inside Ben Davies onto his favoured left foot before rolling the ball into the bottom corner and doubling the Gunners’ advantage.
Another corner provided another goal before half-time, as Havertz nodded in from close range. Arsenal set-piece coach Nicolas Jover was hailed for his impact on the game by Gary Neville.
Bukayo Saka matches Ian Wright records as Arsenal beat Spurs
The real star of the show in the opening 45 minutes at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, though, was Saka. He also made history on Sunday afternoon, as he matched two records previously set by Arsenal icon Ian Wright.
As reported by Squawka, with his goal on Sunday, Saka became the first English player to register at least 15 goals in a single Premier League campaign for Arsenal since Wright achieved the feat in 1996/97. At the same time, the 22-year-old also became the first Englishman to net goals home and away for the Gunners in North London derby games since Wright also struck twice against Spurs in the 1993/94 season.
As Wright once was, Saka is now a talismanic figure at the Emirates Stadium, and it was fitting that he was one of the club’s heroes today. Much has been made this season about whether or not Saka is a “world-class” player, but if that accolade is determined by an ability to deliver when it matters most, then he showed once again today that he can be counted upon to do that.
It was also fitting that after Martin Odegaard was taken off late on, the Norwegian’s captain’s armband was passed to Saka.
