Martin Odegaard’s fantastic display in Wednesday’s win away to Napoli earned him his fourth Player of the Match award in five appearances this season.
Arsenal put in a strong team performance away in Naples on Wednesday night, but Martin Odegaard’s individual display was something very special.
The Gunners captain created six chances for his teammates, played 16 progressive passes, and when no one seemed able to finish the opportunities he was making for them, he fired home a finish from outside the penalty area for the winning goal.
Sofascore highlight that Wednesday was only the eighth time on record that a player had played more than 70 accurate passes in the final third in a single Champions League match.
The other players to do so were Xavi (Barcelona, on five occasions), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona again), and Toni Kroos (Bayern Munich). Quite some company to keep.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Arsenal’s primary creator, most dangerous passer, and goalscoring matchwinner ended up earning the Player of the Match award for his performance.
It’s far from the first time that’s been the case this season, with Odegaard also earning the Player of the Match award in the Community Shield against Manchester City, in the Premier League against Coventry City, and then again against Chelsea on Sunday.
Arsenal’s win over Aston Villa was the only time this season that Odegaard hasn’t received the Player of the Match accolade.
With four goals and four Player of the Match awards in five games, Odegaard has perhaps never been in better form for Arsenal. If he can keep it up, the Gunners will have a great chance to win more trophies this season.
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