Arsenal are still coming down from their high in Lisbon as Mikel Arteta’s side starred on match day five.
The Gunners thrashed Sporting CP 5-1 to return to winning ways in the Champions League group stage.
Arteta watched his squad move up the Champions League table to claim a much-needed three points after Arsenal’s defeat to Inter Milan.
On a five star night where five different goal scorers were recorded, one player stood out as the best as Bukayo Saka was crowned man of the match.
Bukayo Saka is outperforming Kylian Mbappe in the Champions League
With a goal and an assist, Saka’s performance against Sporting earned glowing praise as his strong start to the season continued.
Portuguese media even applauded Saka for causing Sporting so many problems on what was a memorable night for the Hale End graduate.
After the drama on match week five, an incredible statistic emerged which only emphasised the level the Arsenal winger is operating at.
Saka now has more goal contributions than Kylian Mbappe in the Champions League over the previous two seasons, recording 11 to the French superstar’s 10.
Like Saka, Mbappe has been in the headlines this week but for the wrong reasons, missing a penalty in Real Madrid’s 2-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield.
Unlike the Arsenal hero, Mbappe’s start to the season has been rather bleak by his high standards, which makes for interesting reading for a number of reasons.
Darren Bent’s comments on Saka and Mbappe look silly
Right now, the numbers and the naked eye prove that Saka is very much outperforming Mbappe in the 2024/25 calendar.
The Arsenal winger has 15 goal contributions in all competitions so far, with Mbappe behind him with 11 for Madrid.
One of the reasons the two player’s contrasting form is so interesting is because of how the duo were viewed only earlier this year.
For example, Darren Bent declared only eight months ago that he’d be prepared to swap Saka for Mbappe when asked the question on talkSPORT.
“I’m not giving up Saka and Odegaard. I’d give up Gabriel Jesus and Odegaard, or Gabriel Jesus and Saka.
“That pains me because Saka, an academy graduate, but you are talking about arguably the best player on the planet and he’s not old, he’s young,” Bent explained.
The pundit’s comments were made even more interesting as he pleaded for Arsenal to sign the Frenchman and play him centrally.
“I love Mbappe. I’d play him down the middle but he’s versatile which is what I like – he can play on either flank.
“To my beloved Arsenal, I stand before you with a burning desire, a plea echoing from the depth of my soul – you must sign Kylian Mbappe.”
Such view on Mbappe has changed dramatically since his move to Real Madrid, with the Galacticos far from seeing him at his best, utilising him as a striker.
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