‘Not Gabriel Jesus or Xhaka’: He is their power house! BBC pundit blown away by 24-year-old Arsenal star during first-half vs Chelsea
Mark Schwarzer has lauded Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard for the absolutely brilliant strike which gave Arsenal the lead in the first-half of their crucial clash with Chelsea on Tuesday.
Schwarzer was speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live as the Gunners went 1-0 up inside 20 minutes at the Emirates.
There was no doubt that it was a must-win game for Mikel Arteta’s side. Arsenal need to be flawless to stand any chance of lifting the Premier League title this season.
Odegaard ‘absolutely brilliant’ for Arsenal opener
And Chelsea have been woeful under interim boss Frank Lampard. So passing up the chance to win would have been a calamity.
Arsenal looked comfortable in the early stages, with Chelsea almost immediately out of ideas when they got anywhere near the halfway line.
And the home side made their advantage count. Odegaard held his run as Granit Xhaka threaded a ball across the edge of the penalty area. And the Norwegian managed to calmly curl the ball into the underside of the bar to send the ground into a frenzy.
And Schwarzer felt that it was a moment of sheer quality from the Arsenal captain.
“An absolutely brilliant strike. He waits at the edge of the box, takes a step back and launches himself into it. It’s hit with power and curl and it’s a wonderful strike,” he told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“Kepa sees it late and only gets his fingertips to it.”
It was a goal that would have settled the nerves on such an important night for the Gunners. Chelsea have been so poor for much of this season. But they are still a team with a number of world-class players. So it was never going to be easy.
Odegaard has stepped up time and time again for Arsenal this season. So it was no surprise that he was able to keep his composure when it would have easy to snatch at the chance.
