Arsenal: 5 talking points from 5-0 Norwich thumping

Arsenal ensured their supporters got to enjoy some festive fun on Boxing Day as they cruised to a 5-0 win away at Norwich to make it four Premier League wins in a row.

Wondering whether there would be a sluggish start after the collective Christmas celebrations, the only ones who looked slow at Carrow Road were the hosts.

Bukayo Saka got the ball rolling six minutes in when Martin Odegaard found him in the box and he set himself before caressing the ball across goal and beyond Angus Gunn. Despite dominating the ball, that goal was all Arsenal had to show for themselves up until just before the half-time whistle.

Odegaard again was in the thick of the action, this time feeding the onrushing Kieran Tierney who took a touch on his stride before firing across goal and in off the post for his first of the season.

Arsenal: 5 talking points from thumping 5-0 over Norwich in the Premier League as Bukayo Saka nets a brace on Boxing Day

It felt like a game where Arsenal could bump up the goal difference a touch, and that’s precisely what they did after the break.

Saka grabbed his second when he fashioned some space on the edge of the box before curling one low past Gunn. There was precious little going for the hosts who looked hungover, tired and uninspired, meanwhile Arsenal were excellent all over the park.

The fourth came via the penalty spot as Alexandre Lacazette won and converted his spot-kick to end a sequence of three successive penalty misses for Arsenal in all competitions, and the scoreline got even glossier when Emile Smith Rowe tapped into an empty net after Nicolas Pepe’s deflected shot fell into his path.

A Boxing Day bonanza.

1. Bukayo Saka Finding His Shooting Boots

Every time one waxes lyrical about Bukayo Saka it’s his dribbling, energy, quick feet and tactical intelligence that are mentioned. Among the numerous categories to highlight, his finishing tends not to be included.

As soon as he fine-tunes that area of his game – which he is certain to do as he’s got everything else in his locker and is only 20 years old – the Premier League will be in for warfare.

Is he starting to add that to his game already?

Netting twice at Carrow Road took Saka’s tally for the season up to five goals in 19 Premier League matches, the same number he reached in 32 games last season. Also matching his total number of assists, he has now registered the same number of G/A in 13 fewer games.

But it’s his finishing that will be discussed most as on the very short list of traits Saka isn’t quite best at, it is the shooting that stands out. Against poor opposition with a poor goalkeeper in net there will always be an asterisk, but the point stands that it’s top-flight goals and numbers better than those last term.

Improvement in that department is scary. This is a someone with immense talent who is already at an outstanding level. And he’s still getting better. The composure and accuracy of his finishes attest to that.

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