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Arsenal secured top spot in the Premier League after another dramatic late victory with a win over Brentford thanks to a goal from Kai Havertz. The German international’s stock rose dramatically thanks to the strike after what has been a tricky start to life with his new club.
The man who delivered him the opportunity was Bukayo Saka. The Arsenal starlet has faced a different level of scrutiny this season as expectations continue to rise all the time for the Hale End graduate.
Gabriel Martinelli had been leading much of the drive forwards from his substitute goal against Manchester City through to the win over Burnley. Saka’s performance in west London, however, was brilliant. And with five chances created, he led the leaderboard for creativity on the night and capped it off with a sublime assist.
Speaking to football.london after the game, it was evident that the win had come at great expense. The effort displayed by Saka and his teammates has been a persistent feature of the season.
"It's nice to be back on top," he said. "We had to fight hard today to achieve that but we’re satisfied with the win and the three points."
Havertz's goal was celebrated by the whole squad; Mikel Arteta was pictured dragging him over to the fans to enjoy his moment after full-time. Saka admitted that his song was being played in the dressing room after the match as the Gunners fans inside the Gtech Community Stadium continued singing their 'Waka Waka' remix.
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"It was really nice," Saka told reporters. "He has a song with the fans that we were all laughing at.
"We put it on in the changing room as well. That was a good moment for him and I just hope he can continue like this and keep scoring more important goals for us."
The game took on added weight after the result earlier in the day when Manchester City were held to a 1-1 draw with Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium. The lunchtime kick-off provided an opportunity for the Arsenal lads to watch the game ahead of their trip across the capital.
football.london asked Saka whether he and his teammates were able to watch the game. The 22-year-old admitted that the result changed the team talk before the game.
"Yeah, and what a game by the way," he said. "I watched that game, really high quality, and of course, the draw was a good result for us.
"All of us knew, the boys said it in the team talk, this was a chance to go top of the league and we took that. So we’re happy."
Using these moments as momentum are going to be key throughout the season. So often teams feel the need to ignore what is going on around them and keep the focus on them individually, but who is to say sides cannot use other results as fuel?
Martin Odegaard was captain on the day having returned from a concussion and hip injury. The Norwegian along with the manager will have been the ones delivering speeches prior to kick-off so it is good to know that they're using these factors when planning what to say.
Arsenal now face RC Lens in the Champions League with a chance to wrap up top spot in the group. Another rousing speech is sure to be needed in order to ease the burden on their European campaign before Christmas.
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