Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard hailed the performance of William Saliba as the Gunners battled to a 0-0 draw at Manchester City.
The north Londoners were forced to defend for long periods against the champions at the Etihad, with Arsenal restricted to just 27% of the possession.
Despite their lack of the ball, Arsenal conceded just a sole shot on target and became the first team since Crystal Palace in October 2021 to stop Manchester City scoring at home in a Premier League game.
William Saliba produced a commanding performance in central defence, having missed this fixture last season as Arsenal lost 4-1. Odegaard admits that absence was a huge blow to the Gunners, with Saliba shining in their dogged draw this weekend.
“Any team in the world would miss this guy,” Odegaard said on Saliba to Sky Sports.
“You see the quality he has on and off the ball, so I am glad he is fit now. Brilliant player and brilliant performance again today.
Odegaard opened up on the performance from Arsenal and said the Gunners were disappointed not to take all three points, with the result allowing Liverpool to move above them at the top of the Premier League table.
“We wanted all three points obviously, and we did our best to win but in the end we didn’t do enough, so we take the point and we move on.
“We had to defend a lot, a lot more than we planned to. We were dangerous in certain moments when we had the counters, but it is hard to keep the ball and build when you have defended for so long. Your legs are heavy. In the moments we managed to take the ball and get forward we looked dangerous and could have even won it at the end.
“It is a long way to go (the title race). So much can happen before the end of the season. We have to take it game by game, that’s is how we have to do it. Keep working hard, keep pushing and we will see.”
