There was one name on everyone\u2019s lips at the Emirates on Saturday night. Robert Pires, who wore Arsenal\u2019s No 7 shirt with such distinction for Ars\u00e8ne Wenger\u2019s Invincibles, could not stop smiling as he made his way downstairs from the press box for some half-time refreshments. \u201cBukayo\u2019s back,\u201d said the former France forward.<\/p>\n
A frustrated spectator as he battled an achilles injury and his side\u2019s quest for silverware spluttered, Arsenal\u2019s talisman could not have picked a better moment to rediscover his golden touch on his first start since the Carabao Cup final<\/a> six weeks ago. After leaving Ra\u00fal Jim\u00e9nez on his backside to set up the first goal for Viktor Gy\u00f6keres, Saka settled everyone\u2019s nerves with a brilliant second goal and also played his part in the third. The only disappointment was that the England winger didn\u2019t emerge for the second half \u2013 a move that Mikel Arteta explained was precautionary ahead of the second leg of their Champions League semi-final against Atl\u00e9tico Madrid on Tuesday evening. Arsenal might live to regret not piling on the goal difference given how tight things are at the top of the Premier League. But with Saka on song again, anything seems possible.<\/p>\n In the depths of January, after Arsenal\u2019s home defeat by Manchester United<\/a>, Jamie Carragher offered a scathing view of Arteta\u2019s attacking options. \u201cWhen have you ever seen a team at the top of the table, who have been top by six or seven points, but if you were picking the team of the Premier League so far, you wouldn\u2019t have one of their players in the front four?\u201d asked the Sky Sports pundit. \u201cArsenal don\u2019t have that right now and that plays into the fact that they don\u2019t have a genuine superstar at the top end of the pitch. Possibly the only one is Saka, and I don\u2019t think he\u2019s been brilliant. He\u2019s not scored many goals this year or assists.\u201d<\/p>\n At the time, it was hard to argue with Carragher. Having been one of the Premier League\u2019s most consistent attackers over the past six years, Saka has struggled to hit the heights of recent seasons. Saturday\u2019s devastating cameo means the 24-year-old has 13 Premier League goal contributions from this campaign (seven goals and six assists) \u2013 his lowest output since 2020-21.<\/p>\n Saka managed a career-high 28 (16 goals and 12 assists) in 2023-24 but that was before the beginning of his persistent injuries \u2013 a problem that has been exacerbated by a ridiculously heavy workload over the past four seasons. But if there were any doubts that the player who was christened Starboy by the Arsenal supporters when he made his debut in November 2018 was still capable of producing the goods then they were answered emphatically against Fulham<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve seen what he did today,\u201d purred Riccardo Calafiori. \u201cHe\u2019s an unbelievable player and he\u2019s going to help us a lot. I\u2019m pretty confident of that.\u201d<\/p>\n Bukayo Saka fires home his seventh Premier League goal of the season. Photograph: Kieran McManus\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n Arteta admitted last week that Saka had been struggling to sustain his performances this season and said that rather than try to rush him back, he had taken the decision to give him \u201csome peace\u201d to ensure he was ready for the run-in. That pragmatism will also have gone down well with the England manager, Thomas Tuchel, who allowed him to leave the last international camp early as he looks ahead to this summer\u2019s World\u00a0Cup. More importantly for Arsenal fans, it could prove crucial to their hopes of beating Manchester City to the league title \u2013 even if Arteta will continue to manage his minutes carefully. \u201cWe need to be cautious in the manner that we are loading him but you could see what he can do,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Of all Arsenal\u2019s players, ending the 22-year wait to be crowned champions would have extra significance for Saka. He has been there for every step of the journey under Arteta as they have evolved into genuine title contenders and remains the team\u2019s biggest star having signed a lucrative four-year contact worth \u00a3300,000 a week in February.<\/p>\n It was fitting that Arsenal\u2019s academy director, Per Mertesacker, was presented on the pitch before the Fulham game after announcing he will leave at the end of the season. Twenty-four academy graduates have made their first team debuts since he took over in June 2018, with Saka being one of the first. Myles Lewis-Skelly also seized his opportunity in midfield on only his third Premier League start of the season following his sensational debut campaign last year. The 19-year-old has been linked with a move away from the Emirates this summer after falling down the pecking order at left-back but showed he could be a dominant presence in his more favoured role when given an opportunity. \u201cHe has the ability to play in every position. He\u2019s so gifted,\u201d said Arteta. \u201cHe\u2019s had to wait and be humble, which is not easy with what he did the season before. This was his reward.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"There was one name on everyone\u2019s lips at the Emirates on Saturday night. 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