Bukayo Saka Champions League MOTM
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Arsenal forward Bukayo Saka was the standout performer in a convincing 3-0 victory against Monaco at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday. Saka, who scored twice, marked his name in the history books by reaching a significant milestone in his burgeoning career.
The evening began with Saka breaking the deadlock in the first half, showcasing his prowess before capitalising on a Monaco defensive lapse to extend Arsenal’s lead post-interval. His involvement didn’t end there; he also played a key part in the third goal, where his pass led to Kai Havertz scoring, albeit with a deflection off Thilo Kehrer.
With these goals, Bukayo Saka has now joined an elite group of Premier League players, becoming only the second, alongside Mohamed Salah, to notch up 20 goal involvements this season. His tally stands at nine goals and eleven assists, closely followed by Salah’s impressive 16 goals and 12 assists across all competitions.
READ MORE: Mikel Arteta admits Arsenal suffered despite huge win over Monaco
Saka’s performance against Monaco adds to his already notable record in the Champions League. Since the start of last season, only Harry Kane with 18 and Vinicius Junior with 16 have been involved in more Champions League goals than Saka’s 13 contributions, including eight goals and five assists since Arsenal’s re-entry into the competition.
Bukayo Saka has 21 direct goal contributions in 21 games for Arsenal in all competitions this season.
The boy just keeps on reaching new levels. pic.twitter.com/H7uhfj2cCG
— now.arsenal (@now_arsenaI) December 11, 2024
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was happy with the win. The Spaniard told TNT Sports:“Very happy with scoring three goals and keeping the clean sheet in the game – extremely happy.
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“We started the game very well in the first half. It should have been three or four at least and then we could have put the game to bed.
“We didn’t and in the Champions League, you have difficult moments. We had that for a period of time, probably longer than expected because we weren’t precise enough, we didn’t adjust to the press well enough, and we suffered.
“But then with the second goal I thought the game was in control and I’m happy with the three points.”
This win has propelled Arsenal to third in their group, trailing only behind Barcelona and league leaders Liverpool. Securing just two points from their remaining fixtures against Dinamo Zagreb and Girona next month will ensure a spot in the knockout stages. However, they are just a point clear of the playoff positions, adding intrigue to the end of the group stage.
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