The ManicaPost
AFTER beating Sheffield United 6-0, Arsenal have become the first team in Premier League history to win by five or more goals in three consecutive away games.
Given that Sheffield United had conceded 15 goals in their last three home games in all competitions and that Arsenal had scored 15 goals in their previous three Premier League games before this match, you would have been forgiven for expecting something of a rout.
These expectations were quickly met as Arsenal opened the scoring in just the fifth minute after an impressive move was rounded off by a tap-in from captain Martin Odegaard.
Things soon fell apart for Chris Wilder’s side as Jayden Bogle scored an own goal in the 13th minute before Gabriel Martinelli added a third just two minutes later.
Arsenal continued to dominate the half and entered the break with a more than healthy 5-0 lead, thanks to further goals by Kai Havertz and Declan Rice, with the hosts even resorting to a 17th-minute tactical substitution in a bid to keep some dignity, when the score was still 3-0.
The second half brought with it three more changes from the Blades, who sought to limit the damage to their already disastrous season.
While they were generally a better defensive side in the second half, which is admittedly not saying much, the hosts were unable to keep Arsenal quiet, with Ben White scoring with a thunderous strike in the 58th minute.
Despite sheer dominance for the remainder of the game, where Arsenal prohibited so much as a shot on target for Sheffield United, there were no further goals and the Gunners recorded a 6-0 win, becoming the league’s highest scorers in the process.
In a performance of such brilliance, here are three standout players from Arsenal’s record-breaking 6-0 win away to Sheffield United.
The phrase ‘a captain’s performance’ is often coined in football, but it could not be used in a more fitting way than to describe Odegaard’s performance against Sheffield United.
As well as scoring, the Norwegian was an integral part of the midfield all night long and completed four key passes while creating a key chance, too (as defined by SofaScore).
Even when we were 6-0 up, the 25-year-old could be seen encouraging the team to push up and push for more, which shows exactly the type of mentality he has, and just how valuable he is to have at the club.
In 2024, Odegaard has been in a magnificent vein of form, so this performance should come as no surprise, but it was a display to admire from him nonetheless and something that we can only hope to see consistently throughout the remainder of the season. – PAIN-IN-THE-ARSENAL.COM.
