'Title race on' - how Odegaard & Saka are keeping Arsenal hopes alive

Arsenal have not lost a Premier League game Odegaard has played in since April - but it is notable from some key stats that while Saka has played double the minutes of Odegaard, he has much more than double the Norwegian's number in several key metrics.

Odegaard, in 499 Premier League minutes this season, has scored one goal, provided two assists, had three shots and created a further four chances.

Saka, in 981 league minutes, has scored five goals, provided 10 assists, taken 40 shots and created another 36 chances for team-mates.

Based on these stats one might claim Saka, somehow, remains underrated. But the stats reflect the Arsenal pipeline.

Odegaard feeds Saka, Saka feeds the team - and Saka gets the glamourous stats.

That was encapsulated at London Stadium. Saka created four chances to Odegaard's one, and had nine touches in the West Ham box.

Odegaard's only touch in the home area was the penalty he scored.

"Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard linked up beautifully at times and they looked like the side we've seen over the last couple of years," Jamie Redknapp told Sky Sports.

"It just shows everybody what Odegaard does for this team - he knits it together. He is the glue in the team. He is an absolute joy to watch and you see how much better they are with him.

"He frees Saka up and gives him that time in one-on-one situations that you can't really have unless Odegaard is playing."

That is not to say Saka is reliant on Odegaard in order to create. The winger, far from looking exhausted after a punishing 2024 which included his crucial role in England's European Championship campaign, is in the form of his life.

Saka, whose penalty to make it 5-2 was his first away league goal of the season, has now been directly involved in 15 Premier League goals in 2024-25 - second only to the 16 by Mohamed Salah.

You could even claim Saka has 16 goal involvements if you include him being fouled for the first Arsenal penalty against West Ham. It counts as an assist on Fantasy Football, after all.

"Incredible," Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta told his post-match media conference of Saka's attacking numbers. "This is the hardest thing to do in football - to impact the scoreline in that way."

Of those 15 official involvements, 10 have been Saka assists. Only Harry Kane, Cesc Fabregas and Mesut Ozil have reached double figures for assists in fewer games into a team's Premier League campaign.