Garth Crooks praises Bukayo Saka for huge impact in Arsenal v Nottingham Forest
BBC pundit Garth Crooks has showered praise on Arsenal star Bukayo Saka for his impressive performance in the 2-1 victory over Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
The Gunners began their 2023-24 Premier League campaign with a hard-fought win, with goals from Eddie Nketiah and the England international youngster getting the job done.
The visitors halved the deficit later on in the game, but it was too little, too late, and while Crooks was not impressed with the performance Arsenal put on display, he has singled out Saka for his impressive showing.
“The truth is in their 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest Arsenal looked like a relatively new team still trying to find its rhythm,” he wrote in his Team of the Week column.
“In fact they were lucky to come away with the points. Had Forest started the game the way they finished it this would have been a different result entirely.
“The only player who showed any real class or consistency in an Arsenal shirt was Bukayo Saka. It wasn’t just his outstanding goal that set him apart but his entire performance was just on point.”
The 21-year-old bagged 14 Premier League goals and 11 assists last term and has started the new campaign with a bang.
He signed a new long-term contract in May as Arsenal moved to reward him for his brilliance over the past years, and they will hope to keep relying on him for the majority of his career.
Saka has been consistent in recent seasons, and his brilliant performance against Nottingham Forest would not have surprised many.
His teammates need to quickly step up and be on the same wavelength as the Hale End academy graduate if the Gunners are serious about mounting a stronger title challenge this term.
Arsenal return to action on Monday when they face Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, and they will need to put in a better performance if they want to leave with all three points.
They need to keep winning for as long as they can to have a realistic chance of pipping Manchester City to the title, and manager Mikel Arteta will hope Saka and co can maintain their consistency and keep improving.
