Martin Odegaard was on target as Arsenal beat Brighton in the Premier League, and Declan Rice’s celebrations speak volumes about how the captain is seen at the club.
The Premier League title race action continues over festive football schedule, with Arsenal’s chances at the top buoyed by Martin Odegaard. The club captain played a pivotal role in Saturday afternoon’s match against Brighton, netting the opening goal just 14 minutes in.
Arsenal utilised a high press to regain possession from the Seagulls, who were trying to play out from defence, with Bukayo Saka setting up Odegaard. The Norwegian maestro looked set to aim for the far corner, but swiftly fired the shot into the near side, beating Bart Verbruggen’s outstretched hand.
This was a crucial moment for Arsenal – as an own-goal from Georginio Rutter doubled their advantage – before Diego Gomez caused some anxiety at the Emirates Stadium. Ultimately, Mikel Arteta’s squad secured another three points, with their captain to thank for another week atop the Premier League.
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The celebrations underscored Odegaard’s influence on Arsenal’s team, during a time when he has faced criticism for his lack of productivity. Declan Rice, in particular, highlighted the significance of the club’s leader, repeatedly gesturing towards him while facing the crowd.
That demonstrated the squad’s regard for the playmaker, and emphasises his importance in unlocking future matches for the Gunners. It’s been a challenging first half of the season for the 27-year-old, who has suffered three separate injuries so far this campaign.
Two shoulder problems disrupted the opening weeks, leading Arsenal to pursue Eberechi Eze as attacking reinforcement. A subsequent ankle complaint meant Odegaard has featured in merely 11 league fixtures this campaign, representing a significant setback.
This has sparked debate about his true importance to the team, following a previous season where his performances didn’t quite live up to expectations. His strike against Brighton marks his maiden goal of the campaign, whilst he’s contributed two further assists across all competitions.
Just days before that moment, Arteta had commended Odegaard’s captaincy after he allowed Viktor Gyokeres to take a penalty in the victory over Everton. He remarked: “Yes I agree with that [Odegaard showed leadership].
“And as well the confidence on the player because obviously he practices every day. He’s unbelievable at it and he put the ball in the back of the net. I love when players take ownership and decide what is the best decision. That’s something really positive.”
This represented another vote of confidence from the boss in his skipper, amid renewed speculation about whether Arsenal should have chosen a different captain. At an Irish Independent Sport gathering, former Arsenal captain Tony Adams had commented: “Every now and again as a manager, you have to put someone who reflects you, who reflects the football club that you think can actually take you to the next level.
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“Declan is my kind of captain and what it might do is free up Martin Odegaard to play with more freedom. You’ve got someone in there that is going to play every game and lay the foundations of a title-winning team. Declan Rice can do that, Odegaard can’t. Come on Arteta, make him captain.”
Whilst that might have sparked debate before Odegaard’s sluggish start to the 2025/26 campaign, he has displayed flashes of his brilliance. It says everything that Rice would choose to celebrate the club skipper after finally finding the back of the net again.
“Very happy with the performance,” Arteta said after the win over Brighton. “Individually and collectively so dominant, we were a big threat, so very pleased with all of that, but the margin should have been much bigger, I mean the amount of situations, chances, open chances that we generated through the game, it should never be 2-1, but that’s the Premier League that we have to make.
“I think the first shot that they had, they scored the goal and then David [Raya] has to make another save to maintain the result, so yeah, but what I like is that we have a lot of issues, we’re dealing with it in an incredible way, yesterday we lost Jurrien, today we lost Calafiori in the warm-up, Declan has to play as a full-back and you see the performance that he put in, so that’s the spirit and that’s how much our players want it.”
Moving forward, it will be vital for Odegaard to perform at his peak to assist Arsenal in their upcoming title pursuit, along with the rest of the squad. Next up is a potential title clash with Aston Villa at the Emirates Stadium, which could have a huge impact at the top of the league.
