Another underwhelming performance from Arsenal has resulted in the club returning to seventh place and dampening the chances of Champions League qualification after a 2-1 defeat to a deeply out-of-form Everton side.
It wasn't all doom and gloom on the night, Martin Odegaard proved doubters wrong with a magnificent goal towards the end of the first half, which answered the criticism from Gary Neville in the build-up to the match.
Odegaard has now scored all three of his Premier League goals away from home, which defeats Neville’s criticism of the midfielder, who had challenged Odegaard to add more threat in the final third.
Despite back-to-back defeats for the north London side, there has certainly been an improvement with the Norweigian's impact on a match.
Since signing for the club in the summer transfer window from Real Madrid, he has been under huge scrutiny from the media and the Arsenal fans, as he was tasked with being the difference for the club’s chance creation in the final third.
He had been heavily blamed for the club’s lack of chance creation in recent weeks, but his goal at Everton was a reminder of the qualities he will bring to the team this season,
Arteta’s line-up was certainly suited to the Norwegian with the return of Xhaka, who bought a sense of calmness to the midfield and was able to play forward passes, which created more space for Odegaard.
Tierney replacing Tavares also turned out to be a major positive for the side, as it was his cross that provided the assist.
Tavares had been threatening when going forward in recent weeks, but with him being right-footed on the left side it mean that crosses could not be done in an early fashion, which would surprise the opposing defence.
Odegaard scored at what seemed like the perfect moment for the Gunners who had been sinking without trace in the first half, but his goal kept the side floating above the water, until the disastrous end to the match.
His criticism from Neville and the fans have been overreactive, and his goal contribution in the match against Everton was proof of this.
Despite a disappointing defeat, there is a silver lining with the improvement of the Norwegian, and he will be important going into a crucial winter period.
Let's hope Mikel Arteta can navigate the rest of the team out of this current rut as the big games continue to come thick and fast.
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