Advertisement
In a stunning display of football, Arsenal left Sheffield United in the dust on Monday night, scoring a whopping six goals in the first half alone. This equalled their record for an away win in the Premier League and marked the earliest point in any game where a team has established a five-goal lead. It was a night that will go down in Premier League history.
Advertisement
From the get-go, Arsenal showed no mercy. Martin Odegaard set the tone for the evening, opening the scoring in the fifth minute with a low shot from inside the box. The Gunners then doubled their lead just seven minutes later, courtesy of an own goal by Jayden Bogle who inadvertently turned Bukayo Saka’s cross into his own net. Gabriel Martinelli added to Sheffield’s woes, making it 3-0 in the 14th minute by finishing off a cut-back from Jakub Kiwior.
Sheffield United, also known as the Blades, were left reeling. They had no answer to Arsenal’s relentless attack. Kai Havertz piled on the misery, adding a fourth goal in the 24th minute after shrugging off a challenge from Martinelli. Declan Rice then scored the fifth goal in the 38th minute, sliding in Saka’s pass from the right. Ben White put the final nail in the coffin in the 57th minute, heading in Odegaard’s corner to complete the rout.
The statistics painted a clear picture of Arsenal’s dominance. They enjoyed 80% possession and took 23 shots on goal, while Sheffield United could only manage a single off-target shot. The home fans expressed their disappointment, booing their team off the pitch. Sheffield’s manager, Chris Wilder, who had tried to change his formation and personnel to stem the tide, admitted that his players had not followed his instructions and looked “broken and damaged”.
On the flip side, Arsenal were ecstatic. Their victory moved them within two points of the top of the table, hot on the heels of Liverpool and Manchester City. The Gunners have now won three consecutive away games in the Premier League by at least five goals, a feat that has never been achieved before in English league history. Arsenal’s manager, Mikel Arteta, praised his team’s “fantastic” display and urged them to “maintain the momentum” in the title race. This game served as a stark reminder of Arsenal’s prowess and their potential to challenge for the title.
