caughtoffside
·30. November 2024
caughtoffside
·30. November 2024
Bukayo Saka continued his incredible start to the season with two more assists in the first half of Arsenal’s London derby clash with West Ham.
The Gunners raced into a 4-0 lead inside 36 minutes at the London Stadium, with Gabriel, Leandro Trossard, Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz doing the damage.
But despite not getting on the scoresheet, it was Saka running the show, providing the assist for Gabriel and Trossard, while he also won the penalty for Odegaard to make it three.
West Ham fought back with two quick goals to make things interesting, but Saka then completed a stunning first-half display by netting a penalty of his own to make it 5-2.
“It was not a great penalty – he gets there and should save it,” Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville said of Saka’s penalty.
However, the winger will not care one bit after a stunning individual display in the first half.
Bukayo Saka pictured before Arsenal’s Premier League match against West Ham United. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
It now feels like an inevitability that Saka will break the Premier League record for assists in a single season.
Saka’s latest two take him to 10 for the season, which is at least four more than any other player and a total reached in just 11-and-a-half matches.
After this game, Arsenal have another 25 matches to go before the end of the current Premier League campaign.
The current assist record stands at 20, held by both Kevin De Bruyne and Thierry Henry in 2019/20 and 2002/03, respectively.
With over 65% of the season still to go, Saka is already halfway to equalling the record. Provided he can stay fit, it’s surely a formality that he’ll claim this piece of history.