'Title race on' - how Odegaard & Saka are keeping Arsenal hopes alive

Shearer and Sutton. Rooney and Ronaldo. Vardy and Mahrez. Drogba and Lampard. Silva and Aguero.

Many Premier League champions diagnostic treble acts - indispensable attacking proviso lines which provender the rubric charge.

If Arsenal are to situation for the rubric this season, it volition beryllium down to their ain deadly duo - Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard.

Saturday's 5-2 triumph astatine West Ham, during which Arsenal were irresistible for a 25-minute spell successful a manic archetypal half, showed what they are susceptible of erstwhile some men are connected song.

Most telling was erstwhile Saka and Odegaard combined to acceptable up the slayer 2nd goal, soon aft West Ham thought they had equalised lone for Crysencio Summerville's chipped decorativeness to beryllium chalked disconnected for offside.

Odegaard's chipped done shot for Saka was delightful, arsenic was the Englishman's quadrate walk to Leandro Trossard who tapped home.

Their on-pitch narration is truthful bully they tin adjacent stock punishment duties. With some Saka and Odegaard netting from the spot, Arsenal scored 2 first-half penalties for the archetypal clip successful a Premier League match.

"He asked maine for the shot - helium wanted to score," Saka told BBC Match of the Day astir Odegaard taking the archetypal penalty. "He gives maine a batch of balls truthful it is bully to instrumentality that to him."

Saka and Odegaard are the cardinal for Arsenal - if some are acceptable they person a accidental of hunting Liverpool down. The awful showing astatine Bournemouth, erstwhile some were absent with injury, illustrated however Arsenal conflict without them.

That crippled was the nadir of a 7 Premier League lucifer spell wherever Odegaard was absent with an ankle sprain. In the 3 league games since his return, Arsenal's skipper has contributed a extremity oregon assistance successful each azygous one.

"I conscionable wonder, has Martin Odegaard been arsenic large a miss to Arsenal arsenic Rodri to Manchester City?" asked Chris Sutton connected BBC Radio 5 Live. "Arsenal are increasing connected me. With Martin Odegaard back, they are a antithetic team."

Arsenal person not mislaid a Premier League crippled Odegaard has played successful since April - but it is notable from immoderate cardinal stats that portion Saka has played treble the minutes of Odegaard, helium has overmuch much than treble the Norwegian's fig successful respective cardinal metrics.

Odegaard, successful 499 Premier League minutes this season, has scored 1 goal, provided 2 assists, had 3 shots and created a further 4 chances.

Saka, successful 981 league minutes, has scored 5 goals, provided 10 assists, taken 40 shots and created different 36 chances for team-mates.

Based connected these stats 1 mightiness assertion Saka, somehow, remains underrated. But the stats bespeak the Arsenal pipeline.

Odegaard feeds Saka, Saka feeds the squad - and Saka gets the glamourous stats.

That was encapsulated astatine London Stadium. Saka created 4 chances to Odegaard's one, and had 9 touches successful the West Ham box.

Odegaard's lone interaction successful the location country was the punishment helium scored.

"Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard linked up beautifully astatine times and they looked similar the broadside we've seen implicit the past mates of years," Jamie Redknapp told Sky Sports.

"It conscionable shows everybody what Odegaard does for this squad - helium knits it together. He is the glue successful the team. He is an implicit joyousness to ticker and you spot however overmuch amended they are with him.

"He frees Saka up and gives him that clip successful one-on-one situations that you can't truly person unless Odegaard is playing."

That is not to accidental Saka is reliant connected Odegaard successful bid to create. The winger, acold from looking exhausted aft a punishing 2024 which included his important relation successful England's European Championship campaign, is successful the signifier of his life.

Saka, whose punishment to marque it 5-2 was his archetypal distant league extremity of the season, has present been straight progressive successful 15 Premier League goals successful 2024-25 - 2nd lone to the 16 by Mohamed Salah.

You could adjacent assertion Saka has 16 extremity involvements if you see him being fouled for the archetypal Arsenal punishment against West Ham. It counts arsenic an assistance connected Fantasy Football, aft all.

"Incredible," Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta told his post-match media league of Saka's attacking numbers. "This is the hardest happening to bash successful shot - to interaction the scoreline successful that way."

Of those 15 authoritative involvements, 10 person been Saka assists. Only Harry Kane, Cesc Fabregas and Mesut Ozil person reached treble figures for assists successful less games into a team's Premier League campaign.

Saka has added a pugnacious borderline to his game, too.

He was booked successful the archetypal fractional aft a clash with West Ham left-back Emerson, and aboriginal squared up to centre-back Jean-Clair Todibo, who is importantly taller.

Ultimately, Saka and Odegaard's symbiosis connected Saturday extended to the precise extremity of their clip connected the pitch. They were subbed unneurotic successful the 74th minute, occupation done.

"Today was a apical show from america and we scored a batch of goals," Saka told BBC Match of the Day. "We are playing bully shot close present and we privation to proceed similar this.

"We are backmost to our champion signifier - we look fluid and dynamic. We are each enjoying shot close now."

Liverpool person been adjacent cleanable truthful acold successful the Premier League, truthful Arsenal person to hold and anticipation for a dip - past onslaught if it comes.

As Sutton said connected BBC Radio 5 Live: "With Arsenal present it looks similar they're hitting form. Good for them - rubric contention on."

If that is to manifest, it volition beryllium the dynamic duo of Saka and Odegaard who marque it happen.