There was one name on everyone’s lips at the Emirates on Saturday night. Robert Pires, who wore Arsenal’s No 7 shirt with such distinction for Arsène Wenger’s Invincibles, could not stop smiling as he made his way downstairs from the press box for some half-time refreshments. “Bukayo’s back,” said the former France forward.
A frustrated spectator as he battled an achilles injury and his side’s quest for silverware spluttered, Arsenal’s talisman could not have picked a better moment to rediscover his golden touch on his first start since the Carabao Cup final six weeks ago. After leaving Raúl Jiménez on his backside to set up the first goal for Viktor Gyökeres, Saka settled everyone’s nerves with a brilliant second goal and also played his part in the third. The only disappointment was that the England winger didn’t emerge for the second half – a move that Mikel Arteta explained was precautionary ahead of the second leg of their Champions League semi-final against Atlético Madrid on Tuesday evening. Arsenal might live to regret not piling on the goal difference given how tight things are at the top of the Premier League. But with Saka on song again, anything seems possible.
In the depths of January, after Arsenal’s home defeat by Manchester United, Jamie Carragher offered a scathing view of Arteta’s attacking options. “When have you ever seen a team at the top of the table, who have been top by six or seven points, but if you were picking the team of the Premier League so far, you wouldn’t have one of their players in the front four?” asked the Sky Sports pundit. “Arsenal don’t have that right now and that plays into the fact that they don’t have a genuine superstar at the top end of the pitch. Possibly the only one is Saka, and I don’t think he’s been brilliant. He’s not scored many goals this year or assists.”
At the time, it was hard to argue with Carragher. Having been one of the Premier League’s most consistent attackers over the past six years, Saka has struggled to hit the heights of recent seasons. Saturday’s devastating cameo means the 24-year-old has 13 Premier League goal contributions from this campaign (seven goals and six assists) – his lowest output since 2020-21.
Saka managed a career-high 28 (16 goals and 12 assists) in 2023-24 but that was before the beginning of his persistent injuries – a problem that has been exacerbated by a ridiculously heavy workload over the past four seasons. But if there were any doubts that the player who was christened Starboy by the Arsenal supporters when he made his debut in November 2018 was still capable of producing the goods then they were answered emphatically against Fulham.
“You’ve seen what he did today,” purred Riccardo Calafiori. “He’s an unbelievable player and he’s going to help us a lot. I’m pretty confident of that.”
Arteta admitted last week that Saka had been struggling to sustain his performances this season and said that rather than try to rush him back, he had taken the decision to give him “some peace” to ensure he was ready for the run-in. That pragmatism will also have gone down well with the England manager, Thomas Tuchel, who allowed him to leave the last international camp early as he looks ahead to this summer’s World Cup. More importantly for Arsenal fans, it could prove crucial to their hopes of beating Manchester City to the league title – even if Arteta will continue to manage his minutes carefully. “We need to be cautious in the manner that we are loading him but you could see what he can do,” he said.
Of all Arsenal’s players, ending the 22-year wait to be crowned champions would have extra significance for Saka. He has been there for every step of the journey under Arteta as they have evolved into genuine title contenders and remains the team’s biggest star having signed a lucrative four-year contact worth £300,000 a week in February.
It was fitting that Arsenal’s academy director, Per Mertesacker, was presented on the pitch before the Fulham game after announcing he will leave at the end of the season. Twenty-four academy graduates have made their first team debuts since he took over in June 2018, with Saka being one of the first. Myles Lewis-Skelly also seized his opportunity in midfield on only his third Premier League start of the season following his sensational debut campaign last year. The 19-year-old has been linked with a move away from the Emirates this summer after falling down the pecking order at left-back but showed he could be a dominant presence in his more favoured role when given an opportunity. “He has the ability to play in every position. He’s so gifted,” said Arteta. “He’s had to wait and be humble, which is not easy with what he did the season before. This was his reward.”
