Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka could match a 30-year-old feat last achieved by Ian Wright in Sunday’s North London derby with Tottenham Hotspur.
Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka will be bidding to emulate an achievement last managed by Ian Wright when the Gunners tackle Tottenham Hotspur in Sunday’s Premier League North London derby.
Despite his frequent bumps and bruises, the Hale End graduate remains Mikel Arteta‘s star man in attack with 18 goals and 14 assists to show from 44 top-flight contests in the current campaign.
No Gunners player has netted more goals than Saka in the current campaign, although his goals have dried up recently, with just one in his last seven Premier League outings.
Pleas from Gooners to give the 22-year-old an extended rest have fallen on deaf ears, though, as he has started every Premier League game that he has been available for, only missing two matches with Manchester City and Luton Town through injury.
Saka registered an assist for Kai Havertz in the 5-0 crushing of Chelsea in midweek, and the England international is sure to line up on the right when Arsenal take to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium turf for Sunday’s derby.
© Reuters
Saka out to match 30-year-old record
Back in September’s 2-2 draw at the Emirates, Saka was on target from the penalty spot, and he is now just one goal away from matching a 30-year-old record in the North London derby.
Should the 22-year-old find the back of the net in the capital on Sunday, he will become the first English player to score in both of Arsenal’s league meetings with Tottenham in a single season since Wright in the 1993-94 campaign.
That year, the 60-year-old netted the only goal in a 1-0 success at White Hart Lane before also registering in a 1-1 Highbury draw, ultimately ending the campaign with 23 strikes for the Premier League season.
Wright’s compatriot Saka enters Sunday’s derby having directly contributed to a goal in three of his last five matches against Spurs, as Hugo Lloris turned his cross into his own net during last year’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium clash.
The Englishman also scored one and set up another in a 3-1 home triumph in September 2021, and victory for the Gunners on Sunday would see them steer further clear of Liverpool in the race for glory.
Saka: ‘Every game is a final for us’
© Reuters
Should Arsenal prevail on Sunday, they will open up a five-point lead over the Reds with three games remaining, although the title is technically still Manchester City’s to lose thanks to their match in hand.
Liverpool’s 2-0 loss to Everton and 2-2 draw with West Ham United have virtually extinguished their hopes of Premier League stardom, but speaking to The Mirror, Saka insisted that he has not been pre-occupied with thoughts of the Reds’ recent Goodison Park slip-up.
“I try not to read too much into those games, but at the same time it shows that you have to be 100 per cent focused on every game. Each team, or most of the teams, have something to play for,” Saka said.
“Each game is like a final for all of us competing for the title, especially Sunday. With it being a north London derby as well, it’s going to be even bigger as a game. I’m just focused on performing.”
As Arteta’s men bid to steal a march on their title rivals, fifth-placed Tottenham now have their Champions League fate back in their own hands owing to Aston Villa’s 2-2 draw with Chelsea, leaving Spurs seven points behind the Lions with three matches in hand.
No Data Analysis info