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Being an Arsenal fan is the best and the worst thing in the world right now. That was demonstrated quite perfectly on Sunday, when the Gunners raised the heart rate of every single fan at the London Stadium.
It ended 1-0 to the Arsenal, a phrase we find ourselves saying every week, but the match did not reflect the scoreline. After trying the whole game, Arsenal couldn't break down the Hammers' defence. It was Leandro Trossard who broke the deadlock, but Martin Ødegaard deserves his flowers, too.
The skipper came off the bench and did what everybody knows he can do.
It was always going to be Martin Ødegaard to come up with a big moment
Look, the assist speaks for itself. If you were to bet on any player to make the right pass in the opposition's box, it would have to be Martin Ødegaard. He could be in the worst form in the world, and he'd still find a way to put the ball on a plate for a finisher.
As soon as Ødegaard came on, the chances started to flow for Arsenal. The Gunners enjoyed more possession (64%) and took more shots (15) than West Ham, so the win was warranted. However, things just didn't tick as much until Ødegaard came on the pitch, as personified by his late assist.
Martin Ødegaard managed to tame the tempers of Arsenal players
Obviously, the creativity was expected. What some fans might have missed was just how composed Ødegaard was, and how his politeness and respect prevented something quite catastrophic at Arsenal.
The game was tense. Anybody who has a heart-rate monitoring smart watch will tell you that. Yes, I was one of those who got notified about their alarmingly high heart rate... What would we do without this club?
While he couldn't work miracles with our heart rates, Ødegaard diffused multiple situations on the pitch. Just like any relegation-battling team would, West Ham players were just as passionate about snatching a point as Arsenal were about maintaining all three.
There were times when West Ham players surrounded referee Chris Kavanagh, and times when words were exchanged between players of both teams. I recall countless moments where Ødegaard insisted on doing the talking, and he even gave Noni Madueke a pep-talk before he was reprimanded by the referee.
Arsenal players could have lost their heads. We've seen that happen in recent seasons, but Ødegaard made it a mission not to let that happen.
Yes, absolutely, praise him for his assist, but captains don't just lead by example on the ball, they do so off the ball, too. Ødegaard not only got Arsenal the lead, but he made sure his teammates didn't do anything stupid to let that lead slip.
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