How many players could be out with ankle ligament damage for two months and reappear as if we blinked and missed it?

Arsenal hadn’t tasted victory in the league since 5 October, giving Saturday a must-win feel. Martin Odegaard missed three of those four winless matches and what that streak proved more than anything else was that he is the most irreplaceable player in Arteta’s squad.

Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard has picked out Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk as the ‘toughest’ opponent he has ever faced in his career. Having impressed on loan, Odegaard joined Arsenal on a permanent basis three years ago and the 25-year-old has established himself as one of the finest midfielders in Premier League football in that time.