Bukayo Saka was once again an integral part of Arsenal's impressive win over West Ham United on Saturday evening. The 23-year-old was central to everything that was good in an attacking sense for the Gunners as they ran riot against the Hammers at the London Stadium.
Arsenal rushed into a scintillating 4-0 lead, before being pegged back to 4-2. Saka dispatched a penalty right on half-time to make it 5-2 at the break and that is how it stayed until the end of the 90 minutes as the Gunners moved back into second place in the Premier League table.
Saka was sensational. He scored from the spot, but also provided two assists. He had nine shot-creating actions, more than double anyone else on the pitch bar Lucas Paqueta and had six goal-creating actions - almost half of the total goal-creating action in the match!
He has huge pressure on his young shoulders every single time he steps onto the pitch for the Gunners, such is his influence and creativity. But it looks as if he has added something else to his game that was not always present before.
And that's a bit of needle. As a flair player, Saka is often one who is targeted by opposition players and is regularly fouled during matches. But he showed in one moment against West Ham that he will not shy away from standing up for his teammates when things get ugly.
With Jurrien Timber on the floor having been fouled, Carlos Soler and Michail Antonio were standing over the Dutchman having words with him. In an attempt to support his Gunners teammate, Saka came steaming in and gave Emerson Palmieri - also in the vicinity - a little push.
That led to a bit of a melee, with a number of other players coming in and having their say, but when Saka is normally the player who is either fouled or out of the fold, he has that aggression in him that Mikel Arteta will need from all of his players if they are to challenge Liverpool and Manchester City for the Premier League title.
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Keep warm on the sidelines