"The best way to silence the crowd" - Gary Neville lauds Arsenal star for his contribution in 2-0 win over Newcastle United

Gary Neville was impressed with Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard during the Premier League clash against Newcastle United on Sunday, May 7. The Gunners won the game at St. James' Park by a scoreline of 2-0.

Odegaard opened the scoring for his team with a spectacular left-footed strike from outside the box (14'). Neville praised Odegaard for managing to silence the St. James' Park crowd. He told on the Sky Sports broadcast (via The Boot Room):

“The best way to silence the crowd. Those Arsenal players needed that. They have had a tough start to this game but Odegaard is class. They just leave Arsenal’s most accurate player at the edge of the box. He hits it with great accuracy into that corner. It’s a big moment in this game in this title race.”

In his 80 minutes on the pitch, Odegaard touched the ball 43 times and managed to make two important passes. The Norwegian midfielder also had three shots on target.

Apart from Odegaard, an own goal from Fabian Schar helped the Gunners win the game. They managed to keep up the pressure on Manchester City with the win. Arsenal currently have 81 points from 35 matches.

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Arsenal star Bukayo Saka raved about Martin Odegaard

Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard

Arsenal attacker Bukayo Saka raved about his captain Martin Odegaard after the latter's performance during the clash against Newcastle United. Apart from his goal, Odegaard ran the show in the midfield.

Saka said (via Arsenal's official website):

“He’s a fantastic leader. He has been all season. He’s been leading by example, on and off the pitch. Hopefully, he can continue this form. We needed that goal because we were under pressure early on. The first few chances definitely went their way and they had a penalty shout too. After that, we scored a fantastic goal, from then we controlled the game."

Odegaard has been a crucial player for the Gunners all season long. He has scored a few crucial goals for the team, like the brace against Chelsea on May 3. The Norwegian has managed 15 goals and eight assists in 42 matches across competitions this term.

Saka and Odegaard have played 93 games together for the Gunners and have combined seven times directly to score a goal.