What a time to score your first Premier League goal.
On the biggest occasion, in one of English football's biggest stadiums, Martin Odegaard announced his arrival in the Premier League once and for all.
The Norway international, who joined Arsenal on loan for the rest of the season from Spanish giants Real Madrid during the January transfer window, netted his first goal in the Premier League to help the Gunners record their first victory over North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur since December 2018.
Just before the half-time interval, Odegaard connected with Kieran Tierney's cross from the left-wing and saw his effort deflect its way past Hugo Lloris and into the back of the net, drawing the Gunners level after Erik Lamela had netted a sublime opener for Spurs.
The Norwegian, who had opened his account for the Gunners on Thursday, netting a stunning opening goal in the 3-1 win over Olympiacos in the UEFA Europa League, wheeled away in delight before being mobbed by his teammates.
It was a fantastic performance from the youngster, who played the duration of the contest, especially in the second half, and one that proved that he is the missing link that Arsenal have been desperately craving. He was regularly receiving the ball into his feet and looking to instigate Gunners attacks.
And his performance drew no shortage of praise from Gunners boss Mikel Arteta following the full-time whistle, as he waxed lyrical about the January recruit's performance.
"He’s got real stamina. He’s so talented but his work rate, as you said, is incredible," said Arteta. "Not only that, it’s the intelligence, the timing of his runs, when he presses.
"He really pressed. I think he had an incredible performance today, he’s giving us something different and he’s certainly making us better."
After taking an initial period to settle in and find his feet, Odegaard is now starting to show exactly why Arteta was so keen to sign him. He has started the last three matches and, of course, has scored in two of them, suggesting that he can continue to go through the gears between now and the end of the campaign.
And should he continue to go from strength-to-strength, just as the signs suggest, following his impressive showing against Jose Mourinho's side, it will not come as any surprise to Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, who watched his side take another giant stride towards winning the Premier League title with a 3-0 win over Fulham on Saturday evening.
As reported by AS last year, former Norway international Jan Age Fjortoft, who is now a journalist, revealed that when Guardiola was in charge of German heavyweights Bayern Munich he wanted to add Odegaard to his already hugely talented squad, as he was confident that he could turn him into the world’s best player.
Whilst Odegaard still has a lot of hard work to do and obstacles to overcome before he can even begin to think about having that tag attached to his name, he is certainly showing signs of progress and that he does have the potential to be a top player for many years to come.
In truth, for Guardiola, who is considered by many as the very best manager in the world, to have made that claim speaks volumes about Odegaard's talents and the potential he has within his locker.
Guardiola, though, is not the only high profile name in football to have waxed lyrical about Odegaard and made predictions about his future, as the Arsenal midfielder's international teammate - Erling Haaland - has also said something of a similar nature.
Back in October last year, Haaland spoke passionately about the 22-year-old following Norway's 4-0 win over Romania in the UEFA Nations League.
On that occasion, Haaland netted a hat-trick and Odegaard claimed an assist for two of them.
Haaland, as quoted by the Mail, said: "Yes, I can simply split it (the hat-trick) in two (and share with Odegaard). It's nice to play with Odegaard.
"It will only get better in the years to come. We are still young."
For Odegaard to have received such special praise from Haaland, who is tipped by many to succeed the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi as the world's greatest player in years to come, speaks volumes about his qualities and potential.
Admittedly, Odegaard is still in development and has a long way to go before he can consider himself as the finished article. However, after his performances against Olympiacos and Spurs, the attacking-midfielder is already making tracks along the right path.
