Arsenal brushed aside any doubters today as they enjoyed a perfect afternoon on the south coast, cruising past AFC Bournemouth by an impressive 4-0 scoreline.
Whilst there were understandably many standouts, it once again proved to be a particularly enjoyable day for Martin Odegaard, who was once again outstanding.
How did Martin Odegaard play vs Bournemouth?
Amidst all the injury turmoil that surrounded the fixture, the Norway international was one guaranteed starter, as their ever-present captain ready to lead them to victory.
So, to see Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka and William Saliba all passed fit enough to start, his job was only made easier.
As creative as ever, the midfielder proved instrumental in orchestrating their victory, scoring the second and assisting the fourth, deservedly earning his 9.1 match-best rating.
However, that barely scratches the surface of his quality, recording three key passes and two tackles whilst also winning five ground duels, via Sofascore.
The 24-year-old was combative yet unafraid to flex his creative muscles, and helped spearhead Mikel Arteta's side to another impressive result at the Vitality Stadium.
And yet, despite all those starring statistics, it could actually be argued that the foundation for his success was built from the platform Oleksandr Zinchenko afforded him.
How did Oleksandr Zinchenko play vs Bournemouth?
Although he did endure some defensive frailties at times during the match, as is expected with his inverted full-back role, his economical presence in the engine room was instrumental in starving the hosts of possession and keeping moves flowing.
This was no better exemplified than through his 82 touches and 89% pass accuracy, with two of those passes being regarded as key ones capable of forging a goalscoring opportunity, via Sofascore.
One such example was outlined as he and Eddie Nketiah combined for the first penalty, which Odegaard would dispatch, as journalist Sam Dean described: "Zinchenko and Nketiah playing one-twos up the pitch to win that penalty. Zinchenko has been troubled defensively a few times today but he's been so silky on the ball."
However, whilst such an attractive performance was always certain to catch the eye, the Ukraine international was far from work-shy. In fact, with four tackles, two interceptions and two clearances, whilst also winning seven of the ten duels he competed in, it is fair to say that today marked a phenomenal all-around performance from Zinchenko, via Sofascore.
This was a notion that journalist Simon Collings would support in his post-match player ratings, handing the former Manchester City star an 8/10 rating whilst also writing: "Involved in a lot of Arsenal’s good play and helped win their first penalty by playing in Nketiah. Unlucky not to score on a few occasions".
A perfect away performance from Arteta's unstoppable Gunners, it seemed like nothing could make the day any better. That was, until Manchester City threw their perfect Premier League record away for the season, falling to a shock defeat at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
All signs are pointing towards this potentially being the year that the apprentice becomes the master, and Arsenal's 41-year-old head coach seeks to triumph over Pep Guardiola.
