Arsenal breezed past Norwich City in the Premier League on Boxing Day with Bukayo Saka scoring two of the Gunners’ five goals on the evening.
Arsenal strengthened their hold on the fourth place for now, as they blew Norwich City away at Carrow Road to pile more misery on Dean Smith’s side. A consistently dominant performance across the 90 minutes will have pleased Mikel Arteta, who saw his team score five past a hapless Canaries side.
Martin Odegaard began proceedings by stitching the attack with some good play in the final third. Around the sixth minute, the Norwegian’s pass found Bukayo Saka, who hit one in between the legs of two defenders and beyond Angus Gunn’s reach to give Arsenal the lead.
Odegaard then got his second assist of the evening when he found a Kieran Tierney in acres of space, as the left-back took one touch and shot past Gunn to double Arsenal’s lead. Norwich were largely ineffective in the game, as they failed to trouble Aaron Ramsdale to any degree as the first half ended with the Gunners in the lead.
Saka scored the next goal with a well-taken shot from outside the box, as the Gunners more or less secured the tie. Late in the game, Norwich conceded a penalty when Ozan Kabak clipped Lacazette in the box, and the French striker easily scored from 12 yards out.
Emile Smith Rowe made his mark again as the youngster scored in his third consecutive league game as a substitute, which was also his eighth strike of the season. In all, Arsenal triumphed emphatically on Boxing Day, piling more misery on Norwich City as they remain rooted to the bottom of the league table. Here’s how the Arsenal players fared in their 5-0 victory over the Canaries.
Aaron Ramsdale – 6.5/10
For most parts of the game, Ramsdale was a bystander, barring a nervy moment after Ben White’s sloppy pass. Otherwise, he held his ground inside the box to keep things quiet and earn a clean sheet.
Ben White – 7/10
He did well in the right-back position after Tomiyasu was ruled out with Covid. Ben White played the role very well and contributed to the attack. A sloppy pass to gift Norwich a half-chance aside, the defender was largely solid in an unfamiliar position.
Rob Holding – 7/10
A first start in the Premier League since August for Holding and the defender showed no signs of rust due to the lack of game-time. He slotted in comfortably alongside Gabriel at the back, as the Gunners backline was untroubled for most parts.
Gabriel – 7/10
The Brazilian dealt with the threat of Pukki with ease as Gabriel barely had to stretch himself all evening. He enjoyed a largely comfortable evening against the Canaries.
Kieran Tierney – 8/10
As some of his sloppy deliveries suggested today, Tierney wasn’t an absolute threat from the flank. However, he often found space to exploit behind the Norwich defence and got his reward with a well-taken goal.
Thomas Partey – 8/10
Partey absolutely bossed the midfield on Boxing Day, leaving nothing to chance. He always looked to carry the ball forward and initiate attacks. Looked far better than some of his performances this term, and he needs to keep this level up if Arsenal are to maintain their position on the table.
Granit Xhaka – 7.5/10
Xhaka controlled the game with ease alongside Partey in midfield. He often found a player in the forward line to pass to and finished the match without any problems.
Bukayo Saka – 9/10
Bukayo Saka's game by numbers vs. Norwich:
100% take-ons completed
6 ball recoveries
5 touches in the opp. box
3 shots
2 chances created
2 shots on target
2 goalsHe loves Boxing Day. ? pic.twitter.com/E4l8R7guNy
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) December 26, 2021
Saka continued to wield his influence on the pitch. He scored his first-ever brace for the club, and those goals put the game beyond Norwich’s reach once and for all. Gave Brandon Williams plenty of problems on the right side, and he has certainly made that position his own.
Martin Odegaard – 9/10
The Norwegian seems to be growing tremendously in his role. After getting his first assist of the season against Leeds, Odegaard was at it again and got two in this game. He was pivotal in stitching together this energetic and lethal-looking attacking line.
Martin Odegaard's game by numbers vs. Norwich:
87% pass accuracy
75 touches
23 passes in the final third
4 possessions won
3 shots (=most)
2 assists
2 fouls won (=most)Amazing display. pic.twitter.com/nUtELoVwoA
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) December 26, 2021
Gabriel Martinelli – 7.5/10
Martinelli produced a relentless, energetic performance, causing many problems from the left-hand side. He won his battles with Max Aarons and was effective in recovering loose balls, and played a role in the build-up to the second Arsenal goal.
Alexandre Lacazette – 7.5/10
He battled with the defenders and often played very deep. However, Lacazette was sharp when needed in the final third, getting himself a goal and an assist. In the process, he also banished the Arsenal penalty ghosts as he scored from the spot after the team had missed their three previous attempts.
Alexandre Lacazette has now been directly involved in five goals in his last four Premier League games:
⚽️ vs. Southampton
?️ vs. West Ham
?️ vs. Leeds
⚽️?️ vs. NorwichLeading by example. © pic.twitter.com/qdKLQEKjqx
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) December 26, 2021
Substitutes
Mohamed Elneny – 7/10
Elneny was introduced to provide Partey with a breather, and the Egyptian performed well to keep up with the level the Ghanaian had set in midfield.
Nicolas Pepe – 6/10
After being largely ignored in the last few league games, Pepe will be happy to get some minutes under his belt. He caused some problems to the Norwich backline and was instrumental in the fifth goal.
Emile Smith Rowe – 8/10
Smith Rowe continued to set the standards this season after scoring yet another goal as a substitute, his third in a row. He is also Arsenal’s top goalscorer this season in the league with eight strikes.
