Martin Odegaard explains the two reasons behind Arsenal’s win vs Newcastle amid special claim
Martin Odegaard, the captain of Arsenal, has acknowledged that his team had to persist until the final whistle to maintain their chances of winning the Premier League title, following their 2-0 victory over Newcastle at St James’ Park.
Odegaard, who scored his 15th league goal of the season, found the back of the net with a well-executed shot past Nick Pope in the 14th minute.
An intense match concluded with Arsenal securing the victory in the latter half, when Fabian Schar unintentionally scored an own goal by redirecting Gabriel Martinelli’s cross into the net.
Following the game, Odegaard commented on the tenacity and determination exhibited by his team, which enabled them to narrow the gap between themselves and Manchester City to just one point at the top of the league table.
“We showed something special here today,” he said.
“To come here and win is not easy. We had to be very smart and to be ugly at times. It is a big step for a young team like ours to come here and do the things we did. It shows we have come a long way.
“Last year here was one of the toughest days of my career, to be honest. After dropping points against Man City, to win against Chelsea and then come here and win shows the mentality. We have to keep going and digging in and fight until the end. It is football, anything can happen and we need to be ready.”
In the meantime, Jorginho praised the atmosphere at St James’ Park and reiterated Odegaard’s sentiments regarding not giving up.
“The most important thing is that we go home with three points, as we wanted. We know this league, we know we can’t win every game playing beautiful football. I am really pleased to see that our team can play these type of games and understand it is not always possible to just go through with passes. Sometimes you need to fight. I am proud to see us fight to the end.
“This atmosphere is so beautiful. It motivates us to play and gives us fire inside. I have played a few [big games] before. We dream this as a kid and now it is time to enjoy it, it is beautiful.”
Martin Odegaard explains the two reasons behind Arsenal’s win vs Newcastle amid special claim