Mikel Arteta was full of praise for Bukayo Saka, labelling him “unbelievable” following his pivotal role in Arsenal’s 3-1 turnaround victory over Southampton at the Emirates.
The Gunners were left reeling when Cameron Archer put Southampton in the lead after 55 minutes. However, Saka ignited Arsenal’s response only three minutes later by dispossessing Flynn Downes and setting up Kai Havertz, who notched his fourth goal in consecutive matches and his seventh successive score at the Emirates.
Coming off the bench, Gabriel Martinelli made no mistake in converting a precise cross from Saka at the 68-minute mark. The 23 year old winger then rounded off his impressive display with a goal of his own towards the end of the match.
Earlier in the week, Saka expressed his belief that this season would see Arsenal topple Manchester City for the Premier League crown. His stats are backing up his confidence; he boasts seven assists in the leaguethree more than any other player and the highest across all major European leagues.
Additionally, he has now overtaken Robert Pires’ record of 41 assists for Arsenal.
Arteta couldn’t hide his admiration, stating: “There are the stats and you cannot get away from that, and what he’s doing at his age is unbelievable,”.
“He has the capacity to change and decide games like many other players. That is his maturity and it’s another step in what he wants.”
“When you do it at home, do it in big games, in not so big games, and when the team needs him. That’s what defines a top, top player. If we want to be at the top, sometimes players have to create those moments and he’s certainly done that again today.”
Just four days after their emphatic win over Paris St Germain, Arsenal returned to the Emirates with high spirits, only to face a struggling team that had scraped a mere point from their first six games.
Despite dominating the opening half, Arsenal could only muster a single shot on goal against the formidable Aaron Ramsdale.
The Gunners were left reeling as the Saints delivered a shock, and even Gabriel Martinelli’s goal couldn’t settle nerves as David Raya’s goal frame was rattled twice within a minute.
Arteta reflected on the match with candour: “We started the second half a bit sloppy,” he admitted. “It was unbelievable that we did not score in the first half. But we threw away everything we did, and started a completely brand new game in a difficult context.”
He added, “We had a wake-up call with their goal, and it’s true we had to react to that. But we did it and we did it in a convincing way.”
This victory allows Arsenal to keep pace with Manchester City, both now sitting on 17 points, just one behind the frontrunners Liverpool. Meanwhile, Southampton are still languishing with a solitary point.
However, Saints manager Russell Martin found positives in his team’s display, especially compared to their previous first-half collapse against Bournemouth.
Martin expressed his pride: “I feel really proud of the team,” he said. “The willingness to defend and fight and run that wasn’t there in the first half (against Bournemouth) on Monday was there in bundles today.”
He concluded, “They have grown, and they have learned a lot. We are not going to be defined by a result away at Arsenal.”
