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EPL: I’m surprised – Arteta reacts after Odegaard took penalty against West Ham instead of Saka
Arteta reacts as Martin Odegaard replaces Saka as Arsenal’s penalty taker
Arsenal boss, Mikel Arteta, has said that he was surprised that his captain, Martin Odegaard, stepped up to take the spot kick in their 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace on Monday night.
Arsenal took all three points home through Odegaard’s penalty goal after Sam Johnstone brought down Eddie Nketiah in the area.
While many Arsenal fans would have expected Saka to take the penalty, Odegaard stepped up to take the spot-kick.
Saka missed his last one in dramatic fashion at the backend of last season against West Ham.
Arteta was asked afterwards if it was a conscious decision to make Odegaard the designated penalty taker.
The Spaniard said, “I have no clue, it’s about leadership of players, and if they felt it was the right thing to do, for me I’m fine.
“They have to make those decisions on the pitch. I was surprised like everybody else, but he scored the goal which is the important thing and we won the game.”
