%20rotate(-8.06)%22%2F%3E%0A%20%20%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22cls-1%22%20points%3D%22336.19%20136.81%20330.16%2094.25%20326.06%2071.19%20326.44%2071.13%20335.22%2093.54%20352.29%20134.52%20373.95%20131.46%20362.7%2052.01%20350.02%2053.8%20356.05%2096.36%20360.15%20119.42%20359.77%20119.48%20350.99%2097.08%20333.91%2056.09%20312.25%2059.15%20323.51%20138.6%20336.19%20136.81%22%2F%3E%0A%20%20%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22cls-1%22%20points%3D%22402.91%2059.3%20412.36%20126.02%20427.17%20123.92%20417.72%2057.21%20431.59%2055.24%20429.79%2042.51%20387.23%2048.53%20389.04%2061.27%20402.91%2059.3%22%2F%3E%0A%20%20%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22cls-1%22%20points%3D%22463.51%20118.77%20458.69%2084.71%20474.68%2082.44%20479.51%20116.5%20494.36%20114.4%20483.11%2034.95%20468.26%2037.06%20472.96%2070.25%20456.96%2072.52%20452.26%2039.32%20437.4%2041.43%20448.65%20120.88%20463.51%20118.77%22%2F%3E%0A%20%20%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22cls-1%22%20points%3D%22540.5%20107.87%20538.77%2095.68%20518.91%2098.49%20515.77%2076.29%20535.63%2073.47%20533.93%2061.5%20514.07%2064.32%20511.11%2043.42%20530.98%2040.61%20529.25%2028.42%20494.53%2033.34%20505.78%20112.78%20540.5%20107.87%22%2F%3E%0A%20%20%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22cls-1%22%20points%3D%22299.03%20155.17%20301.29%20171.58%20542.78%20138.39%20540.5%20121.97%20299.03%20155.17%22%2F%3E%0A%3C%2Fsvg%3E)
Martin Ødegaard has shown his leadership in an interesting way after proving critical to Arsenal's title bid once again. The Norwegian came off the bench to play an instrumental part in his side's narrow win over West Ham over the weekend.
The Gunners won 1-0 thanks to Leandro Trossard's late winner, which came after Ødegaard produced a superb bit of skill to dance his way through a compact West Ham defence and pull the back for the Belgian.
Martin Ødegaard proves the voice of reason
Drama unfolded shortly after the Arsenal goal when West Ham had a stoppage time equaliser ruled out for a foul on David Raya. The foul was clear, but in defence of the West Ham players, most of them were not aware of what happened, given they are not shown, so they were perhaps left feeling more aggrieved than they would have been had they seen it.
At full-time, the usual remonstrations with the officiating crew played out on the pitch, and one of the more vocal West Ham players was Mateus Fernandes, who has been vital in West Ham's scrap for survival.
One eagle-eyed Arsenal fan on Reddit spotted that Ødegaard showed his leadership by approaching West Ham skipper Jarrod Bowen and warning him to calm Fernandes down. He seemed to do that to help Fernandes avoid the post-match booking he seemed to be headed for.
At that point, Ødegaard had nothing to gain or lose by allowing West Ham to continue their complaints, but he had seemingly spotted that Fernandes was starting to cross the line.
The other wrinkle is that Ødegaard could be showing his true Arsenal colours by ensuring Fernandes doesn't risk missing the final two games, which would help Tottenham's battle against the drop.
"Just making sure their relegation battle doesn't go off the rails"Mors_Acerba, Reddit
"Ensuring that West Ham can still get Spurs relegated. Playing 4D Chess"Alyosha1234, Reddit
That's not a realistic view, but it's a fun one to entertain. What we do know is that Ødegaard has matured immensely during his time at Arsenal, and while he was questioned over his leadership when he was appointed club captain, there is now little doubting that he has what it takes to lead the club.
The Norwegian is not only one of the club's best players in terms of ability, but he also has the composure and calmness, which is vital for a team that is often involved in chaotic moments due to their presence in title races, cup finals and the like.
Add us as a preferred source on Google