November 24th 2024.
Arsenal's recent game against Nottingham Forest was undoubtedly their best performance of the season, according to Paul Merson. The former Arsenal and England midfielder was full of praise for the team's display, specifically highlighting the impact of Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard.
Saka and Odegaard combined brilliantly to open the scoring for Arsenal, much to the delight of the Emirates Stadium crowd. It was a dream start for the hosts, who were in desperate need of a morale-boosting victory after a tough few weeks leading up to the international break.
Despite Forest's resistance, Arsenal continued to dominate the game, with Thomas Partey doubling their lead in the 52nd minute. And to put the icing on the cake, teenager Ethan Nwaneri scored a third goal in the dying moments of the game, further enhancing his growing reputation.
Odegaard, who was making only his second start since returning from injury, put in an exceptional performance in the midfield, earning praise even from Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo. Merson, too, was impressed by the Norwegian midfielder's contribution, noting the difference in Saka's game when playing alongside him.
"I thought they were outstanding," Merson said while analyzing Arsenal's performance on Sky Sports News. "Saka is a completely different player when he's playing with Odegaard. When Odegaard plays and they both play down that right, the way they interact and they're both singing off the same hymn sheet... phenomenal."
Merson also believes that Arsenal were able to ease off the pressure in the second half, especially with a tough Champions League game against Sporting coming up on Tuesday. "They played in second gear, to be fair," he said. "And then Partey came on and got another worldy. And then Nwaneri... 17 years old, what a talent that kid is, he gets a good goal."
Looking ahead, Merson is confident that Arsenal can continue their winning streak in the next few games. "They've got some good fixtures coming up," he said. "You look at their next seven or eight games, you would expect them to near-on win all of them or maybe draw one, really, if they want to put a run together."
He also acknowledged that Arsenal had a tough start to the season, having already played against all of the top five teams from last season, as well as an away game against Bournemouth. But with more manageable fixtures in the near future, Merson believes Arsenal have a good chance of building momentum.
"They were outstanding, the best I've seen them this season," he concluded. "Odegaard makes the difference and Saka is a completely different player. I thought Saka was outstanding as well and it was just a real, real good result."
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