Martin Ødegaard delivered a midfield masterclass in Arsenal’s 5-0 demolition of Chelsea.

While his brilliance was undeniable for those who watched, a bizarre rating from Oliver Holt in the Daily Mail raises eyebrows.

A closer look at Ødegaard’s stats and performance exposes a major problem in Holt’s assessment, as usual.

After the game, there was widespread consensus that Martin Odegaard had put in a masterful display as he helped Arsenal humiliate Chelsea on Tuesday night.

Although he didn’t get on the scoresheet himself, he was the conductor of Mikel Arteta’s orchestra, grabbing two assists and picking up the Player of the Match award despite both Kai Havertz and Ben White scoring a brace each.

Even if you didn’t actually watch the match, and I might have to assume that Oliver Holt, writing in Tuesday’s Daily Mail, did not, then just one look at the midfielder’s stats would tell you all you need to know.

Ødegaard’s FotMob rating of 9.3 tells its own story, but the deeper statistics reveal his omnipresence. With 88% pass accuracy and a remarkable eight chances created, he was the driving force behind Arsenal‘s relentless attack.

The Norwegian wasn’t simply spraying passes and twinkling with his toes; he was a constant threat. His three dribbles and 10 passes into the final third showed a desire to penetrate Chelsea’s defence at every opportunity. His willingness to get involved was evident in his 84 touches and six recoveries as he led the Arsenal press like an angry Jack Russell trying to get his ball back.

Ødegaard also won 73% of his ground duels and made a crucial interception.

This all-around performance shows how Ødegaard, despite not scoring himself, was the undisputed maestro in Arsenal‘s dominant victory.

Why, then, did Oliver Holt think to give Odegaard a pathetic 7.5? Yes, that’s right – seven point five. Players Holt rated more highly than Odegaard include Ben White, Thomas Partey, Kai Havertz, and Leandro Trossard. Odegaard’s rating was the same as Takehiro Tomiyasu and Declan Rice, meaning, to Holt, Odegaard’s performance was bang average in the context of the Arsenal team performance.

I’m not angry at this more than completely and utterly befuddled.

I know Holt is a dolt, he did, after all, bring us the infamous warning that we should all fear Spurs after about two months of the season, but this?

This just seems like he hit his head before he started writing.