Struggling Arsenal star ‘back to his very best’ in 97-touch masterclass v Wolves

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Martin Odegaard has not had the easiest campaign, but shone brightly in Arsenal’s victory over Wolves.

The midfielder has been criticised for his performances, and also struggled with injuries throughout the campaign, but was back to his best today in a fine display against Wolves.

The 24-year-old scored what proved to be the eventual winner with an excellent finish into the bottom corner, and excelled with his passing and chance creation in a game in which Arsenal should have scored more.

The Arsenal captain was influential throughout the game before being withdrawn for Jorginho in the last few minutes, and was arguably the best player on the pitch.

Martin Odegaard earns praise after Arsenal victory

Journalist Kaya Kaynak praised Odegaard after the game, highlighting his standout performance and claimed that the Odegaard of last season seemed to reappear today.

“Martin Odegaard looked back to his very best today. Was everywhere and grabbed what turned out to be the winner. He’s joint MOTM with Bukayo Saka who once again broke the game open for Arsenal with his determination,” he posted on X.

Odegaard’s outstanding Arsenal display

Odegaard created an astonishing six chances against Wolves, and was unlucky to not add an assist to his display as Eddie Nketiah and Leandro Trossard missed big chances after being put through on goal.

The midfielder dropped deeper and was heavily involved in build-up play, recording 97 touches and completing 77 of his 87 attempted passes, with an accuracy of 89%.

Odegaard also helped his teammates out defensively, making five recoveries, and it was a performance reminiscent of his form last season.

Although Odegaard has now scored seven goals in 18 appearances this season, he has registered just two assists, and was picking up criticism for some ineffective displays at the start of this campaign.

He looked back to his very best, and will hope to build up a strong run of form in the next few weeks.

His goal was a well-driven strike into the bottom corner following a cross from Oleksandr Zinchenko, and having also scored a volley in Wednesday’s Champions League victory over Lens, he is now improving his output in front of goal.

Arsenal are now four points ahead of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League, with Pep Guardiola’s side set to face Tottenham Hotspur tomorrow, and with Arsenal travelling to Luton on Tuesday, they have an opportunity to build up some momentum in the title race.