Arsenal’s excellent run of form continued as a deflected Bukayo Saka effort was enough to earn them a narrow victory over Bodo/Glimt.
Arsenal continued their excellent start to the campaign as a fortuitous first-half Bukayo Saka goal gave them a 1-0 away win over Bodo/Glimt in the UEFA Europa League, marking a sixth win in a row across all competitions.
A smart move put the England international in a good shooting position and his deflected shot bounced off the 21-year-old and into the net to put the Gunners ahead.
Bodo pushed for an equalizer in the second half, but a combination of Matt Turner and poor finishing saw the Gunners hold on for all three points.
Mikel Arteta’s men made it 11 wins from 12 in all competitions to open the season as they cemented their position at the top of Group A.
Arsenal go ahead in the 24th minute, Saka played a lovely two with Albert Sambi Lokonga and was extremely lucky.
Bodo had a fantastic chance to equalize early on after Runar Espejord teed up Amahl Pellegrino across goal, only to fire wide.
Pellegrino had another great chance after the break but his side-footed shot was comfortably saved by Turner before Ola Solbakken fired just over the bar.
Espejord should have scored when the ball fell into his box, but his effort went wide as Bodo continued to threaten.
The home side kept searching for an equalizer but Arsenal got another important win.
Arsenal player ratings vs Bodo/Glimt – Europa League
1. Arsenal (4-1-4-1)
GK: Matt Turner – 7/10 – Not forced into too many saves but he swept up very well.
RB: Ben White – 7/10 – Forced Pellegrino to come inside to get in the game. Another solid outing.
CB: William Saliba – 6/10 – Wasn’t as aggressive as he’s been in Premier League matches but he didn’t really need to be.
CB: Rob Holding – 5/10 – Quite clearly not at the technical or physical levels to be playing bigger games than this.
LB: Kieran Tierney – 6/10 – Played far more on the wing and in midfield than at left-back.
DM: Albert Sambi Lokonga – 4/10 – Kind of got an assist, sure, but he didn’t take much responsibility, and when he did Bodo/Glimt instantly pressed him anyway.
RM: Bukayo Saka – 8/10 – Played extremely wide in the build-up phase. Wasn’t at his best technically but was always causing Bodo/Glimt problems one way or another.
CM: Martin Odegaard – 6/10 – Played at a lower intensity but was still largely fine on his return to his homeland.
CM: Fabio Vieira – 5/10 – Buzzed about into different areas trying to get on the ball, but was largely inconsequential.
LM: Reiss Nelson – 3/10 – Looked slow for a winger prized for his pace. Failed to get the better of his man on a regular basis and was deservedly hooked.
ST: Eddie Nketiah – 6/10 – Brought a lot of handy number-nine qualities to the game.
Manager: Mikel Arteta – 6/10 – Arsenal were very flat but it’s hard to imagine Arteta could have done much to get them going for a match like this.
SUB: Granit Xhaka (59′ for Saka) – 6/10
SUB: Gabriel Martinelli (59′ for Nelson) – 5/10
SUB: Takehiro Tomiyasu (70′ for White) – 6/10
SUB: Marquinhos (70′ for Odegaard) – 5/10
SUB: Thomas Partey (84′ for Lokonga) – N/A
