MY ACCOUNT
Arsenal continued their excellent start to the campaign as a fortuitous first-half Bukayo Saka goal gave them a 1-0 away win over Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League, marking a sixth win in a row across all competitions.
A clever move gave the England international the ball in a good shooting position, and his deflected shot came back off the 21-year-old and into the net to give the Gunners the lead.
Bodo pressed for an equaliser in the second half, but a combination of Matt Turner and poor finishing allowed the Gunners to hold on for all three points.
Mikel Arteta’s men made it 11 wins from 12 in all competitions to start the season as they consolidate their position at the top of Group A.
Arsenal went in front after 24 minutes, Saka playing a lovely one-two with Albert Sambi Lokonga before getting a huge slice of luck, as his shot rebounded off a defender back onto the winger’s chest before bouncing in with the goalkeeper completely wrong-footed.
Bodo had a fantastic opportunity to level soon after as Runar Espejord’s flick-on put Amahl Pellegrino through on goal, only for the forward to fire horribly wide.
Pellegrino had another big opportunity after the break, but his sidefooted shot was comfortably saved by Turner, before Ola Solbakken smashed just over the crossbar.
Espejord then should have scored when the ball fell to him in the box, but blazed his effort over as Bodo continued to threaten.
The hosts were persistent in their search for an equaliser, but Arsenal saw the game out to record another important victory.
What does it mean? Arsenal’s stunning start goes on
Arsenal were not at their best against Bodo, but did just enough to take victory in Norway and make it three wins from three in Group A and six consecutive victories across all competitions.
The Gunners registered just one shot on target over the 90 minutes, but they will not care a jot as they take the all-important three points back to London, with the opportunity to secure a spot in the knockout stages if they beat PSV Eindhoven at Emirates Stadium next week.
All in all, Arteta’s side have won 11 of 12 games in all competitions this season, the only defeat being at Old Trafford against Manchester United last month.
Unsung hero Lokonga
While Saka will get the headlines for his goal, Lokonga also played very well in the centre of midfield alongside Fabio Vieira.
Lokonga’s assist for Saka’s winner was perfectly-weighted, and the former Anderlecht man’s all-round game impressed as he ranked highest in passing accuracy (96.6 per cent) and second in key passes (two) among Arsenal players.
Ineffective Nelson
While Saka continues to star for Arsenal, another academy product on the opposing wing failed to make an impression as Reiss Nelson struggled.
Nelson made way with over half an hour left having failed to hit the target with his only shot, while winning just one of his three duels.
What’s next?
Both teams return to domestic action on Sunday, with Arsenal travelling to Elland Road to play Leeds United while Bodo will face Valerenga away from home.
