Former Premier League footballer Garth Crooks has heaped praise on Arsenal forward Bukayo Saka after his stellar performance in his side’s Premier League fixture against Tottenham Hotspur.
The Gunners won 2-0 against Tottenham in the north London derby over the weekend (15 January). The north London outfit put in an excellent performance at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris got on the wrong side of the scoresheet after the ball deflected off his chest into the back of his own net in the 14th minute.
Arsenal midfielder Martin Odegaard produced an exquisite finish with a strike from outside the box later in the first half. Saka played a crucial role in both goals. The English forward’s attempted cross into the box led to Lloris’ own goal while he assisted Odegaard’s goal.
Crooks hailed Saka for his performance and told BBC:
“If this fixture had been a boxing contest the referee would have stopped it. Talk about men versus boys. Arsenal absolutely destroyed Spurs in the first half. At one stage Bukayo Saka looked like he was capable of taking on the entire Tottenham team. The Arsenal winger gave Ryan Sessegnon such a torrid time I couldn’t believe Antonio Conte left the defender on the pitch to receive further punishment.”
He added:
“Arsenal’s second-half performance, however, was very different from the first. The Gunners managed the game brilliantly and never lost control. At this rate I can see no reason why Arteta and his men shouldn’t start talking about winning the title. We all know they are thinking about it.”
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta shares thoughts on Tottenham victory as Gunners gain eight-point lead
Following their victory over their north London counterparts, the Gunners find themselves comfortably placed at the summit of the league table. Mikel Arteta’s side are eight points ahead of second-placed Manchester City.
The Spanish boss explained his happiness after the encounter and said (via football.london):
“I’m very happy for two reasons. One because I saw a team with courage and that really wanted to win. And the other one where we have today. We have a job where we are really privileged to make people happy. Sharing the victory with the fans was really special and all the suffering makes sense.”
The Gunners will next face Manchester United in the English top tier at the Emirates on 22 January. They will lock horns with English rivals Manchester City in the FA Cup on 28 January in their subsequent fixture.