BBC pundit says Martin Odegaard had one Newcastle player baffled yesterday

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Former Tottenham forward Jermain Defoe was full of praise for Arsenal midfielder Martin Odegaard against Newcastle yesterday.

Odegaard scored a superb opening goal and then produced a midfield masterclass to help the Gunners past the Magpies. The skipper was outstanding throughout, and received widespread praise from a number of pundits and fans afterwards.

One of those pundits left revelling in the performance of Odegaard was former Spurs man Defoe. Speaking on the BBC’s MOTD2, Defoe highlighted just how clever the Norwegian was.

“You see Odegaard, you see his position here, it’s really clever. What he’s doing is that he’s asking questions. He’s saying Botman are you going to come with me or vacate that space in behind?,” Defoe said.

“Everything Arsenal did today came through him, his personality and ability on the ball, he continues to impress me.”

Odegaard’s form has been absolutely crucial all season long for the Gunners. After being made Arsenal captain, the £30m signing seems to have got better and better.

Arsenal remain in the title race despite Manchester City holding the advantage. With just a handful of games remaining, the Gunners know they need to keep winning and hope City slip up.

TBR’s View: Odegaard had Newcastle on strings

Despite the rapid start to the game, once it settled down, it was Odegaard and Arsenal who had full control of things.

The Norwegian was almost toying with the Newcastle defence at times and this from Defoe points out perfectly what Odegaard was doing to the Magpies’ defence.

For Arsenal, having a player like Odegaard in such fine form is brilliant. Yes, they might end up coming up short in the title race. But Odegaard is only going to get better and in the next few seasons, trophies are a big possibility.

Newcastle’s defenders just didn’t know what to do with him. And that in itself is an art form.