Arsenal winners, losers and ratings as Saka sinks Bodo/Glimt
Arsenal made it three wins in the Europa League with a hard earned 1-0 success at Bodo/Glimt on Thursday night.
The Norwegian champions boasted a formidable home record going into the game, having won their last 14 European games at the Aspmyra Stadion – including a 6-1 victory over Jose Mourinho's Roma last season.
So Mikel Arteta named a stronger team than many expected, with William Saliba, Ben White, Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka all starting.
And it was Saka who scored the only goal of the game in the first half, albeit with a fortunate finish which saw the ball deflect in off his chest after his initial shot had been blocked.
Bodo did cause the Gunners some problems, especially in the second half, but they failed to really test Matt Turner with any shots on goal.
The win means Arsenal will now secure qualification through to the knockout stages, should they beat PSV Eindhoven at Emirates Stadium next Thursday night.
GettyThe Winners
Winner: Bukayo Saka
Another game, another goal for Saka.
This one my have been fortunate, with the ball deflecting into the net off his chest after his initial shot had been blocked by a defender.
But that will not matter to Saka, who now has three goals in his last two games following his double against Liverpool at the weekend.
The Arsenal winger had endured quite a slow start to the season from a goalscoring sense, netting just once in his first nine appearances.
So his numbers have taken a real boost in the last few days, with Saka having now scored four in 11.
That's much more like what we have come to expect from the 21-year-old.
Winner: Sambi Lokonga
This was another very tidy performance from the young Belgian, who has quietly enjoyed a strong start to the season for Mikel Arteta's side.
Lokonga has already accumulated nine appearances in all competitions and appears to have gone up a level from what we saw from him last season.
In tricky conditions on an artificial pitch, Lokonga was impressive in midfield. He looked calm under pressure, brought the ball forward well and was excellent in possession.
He also had a big part to play in Saka's first-half goal, playing the ball cleverly into his path on the edge of the box.
Winner: Matt Turner
There have been question marks over Turner following his move from the United States in the summer, so this would have been a very satisfying night for the American stopper.
He didn't have too much to do in terms of making saves, although he did make one smart stop in the second half following a quick counter from the home side.
But what was impressive about Turner was how sharp he was off his line.
The artificial pitch meant that the ball was skidding off the surface very quickly and he was always alert to deal with the danger.
Turner's starting position was always very good and he helped out his defence on several occasions when the hosts were threatening.
AdvertisementThe Losers
Loser: Reiss Nelson
This was a big night for Nelson, who was making his first start for Arsenal since January, 2021.
He would have been desperate to impress, but failed to make any sort of major impact down the left-hand side of the attack.
There were a couple of nice runs, but when Nelson did get into a good position his end product was severely lacking.
There was one shot early in the second half that summed up Nelson's night.
He was in a good position just outside the box. But, despite having a bit of time to set himself, he sliced an effort which ended up closer to the corner flag than the goal.
Loser: Fabio Vieira
He was the star of the show against Bodo in London, but this was a far more frustrating night for the Portuguese playmaker.
Vieira just couldn't really get into the game while playing alongside Martin Odegaard in the two advanced Arsenal midfield roles.
He produced a couple of nice touches, but he was mainly on the fringes of things and was unable to get into the sort of areas that saw him cause so many problems a week ago.
Loser: Cedric Soares
Still the Portuguese international is waiting for his first start of the season.
When he returned to full fitness a fortnight ago, the expectation was that Cedric would start both games against Bodo in the Europa League.
But instead he has been left on the bench for both, with Takehiro Tomiyasu starting at right-back in the game in London and Ben White starting in Norway.
That will have been a blow for Cedric, who appears to be well down the pecking order this season.
Arsenal Ratings: Defence
Matt Turner (8/10):
Was alert when he needed to be. Came off his line well to deal with danger and made saves when he needed to.
Ben White (7/10):
Got up in support of Saka well, left some space behind him at times.
Rob Holding (6/10):
Made a couple of important clearances. Good in possession.
William Saliba (6/10):
Played in second gear. Never really looked in trouble.
Kieran Tierney (7/10):
Looks fully fit now, which is promising. Got up and down the left all night.
Midfield
Sambi Lokonga (8/10):
Impressive. Stood out in midfield and played a big part in Saka's first-half goal.
Martin Odegaard (6/10):
Saw a lot of the ball, produced some nice touches.
Fabio Vieira (5/10):
Just couldn't get into the game. He was always on the fringes of things.