London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Oct 07, 2025

Odegaard double sends Arsenal five points clear

Odegaard double sends Arsenal five points clear

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says everyone is shocked at the Gunners surging five points clear at the top of the Premier League but that he is determined his players should enjoy their present lofty status.

Martin Odegaard's second-half double in their win over Wolves was enough for Arsenal to take maximum advantage of Manchester City's shock defeat by Brentford and ensure they will be top on Christmas Day for the first time since 2007.

It is a major achievement for a club that has not finished higher than fifth since 2016.

"Obviously nobody expected us to be where we are right now," said Arteta. "But it's great to be where we are and we are enjoying that moment."

Odegaard turned home Fabio Vieira's low cross from close range 10 minutes after the restart and then drilled in the rebound after Jose Sa had kept out Gabriel Martinelli's low effort 15 minutes from time.

It meant there was no slip-up for the Gunners, who watched City's defeat on the team coach as they travelled to the Midlands and celebrated when Ivan Toney scored in injury time.

"As you can imagine," said Arteta, when asked about the reaction.

"But that's the way that you live this league and that's the beauty. You start to do that on the second game of the season because the competition is so big that you're always looking at other opponents. It's something that every team does."

There was more good news from the Arsenal camp as Arteta revealed Granit Xhaka's first-half exit was down to a sickness bug that affected the visitors before kick-off, rather than anything that would put the Switzerland player's World Cup in jeopardy.

In contrast, Wolves are now bottom as new manager Julen Lopetegui prepares to take charge.

The former Spain, Real Madrid and Sevilla boss was introduced 15 minutes before kick-off at Molineux and watched the game from the stands.

He saw a microcosm of Wolves' season given the hosts battled hard and produced some opportunities despite spending much of the game on the back foot, but were undone by a lack of goal threat as they failed to score for the eighth time in 15 top-flight games.


Odegaard could be Arsenal's title key


Odegaard has impressed since being appointed Arsenal captain


Twelve victories and 37 points represents Arsenal's best record 14 games into a season.

They do still have to play defending champions City as their first planned league game against them was called off last month to allow the Gunners to get up to date with their Europa League programme.

They also have to face an in-form Newcastle, but they have met all the rest of their 'big six' rivals and look very much the real deal.

Odegaard in particular has proved an inspired choice as captain by Mikel Arteta.

The 23-year-old Norwegian goes about his work in a quietly effective way, clean in his passing and astute in terms of his positioning, which given his central role is essential.

He is a goal threat too. His first was a poacher's effort as he evaded the attentions of Wolves defenders despite his proximity to the home goal. His second involved superb first-touch control as the ball ran out to him, then a precise finish.

Much has been made of Erling Haaland's likely impact for City after the World Cup, given Norway's absence means he will be resting when so many influential players are in Qatar. The same is also true of Odegaard.


Lopetegui's scoring problem


As no Premier League season has reached Christmas Day with so few fixtures played, comparisons to previous years must come with an asterisk.

And before Arsenal's supporters get too excited, it is 1947 since they were top and went on to become champions, which now has to be the aim.

At the other end, only three clubs in the Premier League era have escaped the drop after being at the foot of the table.

If there is a shining light at the end of that particular tunnel for Wolves, the last team to do it were Leicester, who went on to become champions the following season.

Chairman Jeff Shi has less lofty aims judging by his programme notes, where he admitted he doesn't 'expect to start winning straight away', which is a novel approach.

There has been no word from Wolves about Lopetegui's contract but it would be a major surprise if it did not contain an escape clause on both sides at the end of the season should the managerial change fail to work as hoped.

No manager can make a silk purse out of a sow's ear though. And while Adama Traore's pace caused Arsenal problems and Goncalo Guedes produced one of his more effective displays, Wolves did not find the net.

They have scored only eight times in the league this season, by far the worst return in the top flight.

Diego Costa will be back after suspension once domestic combat resumes following Qatar 2022, although whether that will be enough to save Wolves is debatable.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Three Scientists Awarded Nobel Prize in Medicine for Discovery of Immune Self-Tolerance Mechanism
OpenAI and AMD Forge Landmark AI-Chip Alliance with Equity Option
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
×