"This is not convincing" - Tim Sherwood makes claim about Arsenal star Bukayo Saka
Pundit Tim Sherwood reckons Bukayo Saka's penalty in Arsenal's 5-0 Premier League win against Burnley on Saturday (February 17) was far from convincing.
The Gunners were a goal up thanks to Martin Odegaard's fourth-minute strike and looked to double their lead before the break. Saka, who stepped up, placed the ball to the goalkeeper's left and hit a grounded side-footed attempt (41').
James Trafford nearly kept it out, but the ball seemed to sneak in under the English shot-stopper's glove. Talking about this incident, Sherwood said (via Metro):
"It’s up to Saka, and this is not convincing. It’s convincing enough when it nestles behind the goalkeeper into the back of the net, but if you are an Arsenal fan, you would have had your heart in your mouth at that stage.
"It was a poor penalty. You look at the goalkeeper; he should save it. I mean, it has gone underneath his hand. But at the end of the day, it ended up in the back of the net."
fter the interval, Saka would score his second of the night (47'), firing one with his weaker right foot at the keeper's near post. The Gunners rounded off the night with goals from Leandro Trossard (66') and Kai Havertz (78').
Despite criticism over his penalty, Saka seems to be the overwhelming contender to stand over the ball in spot-kick situations. He has scored four this season, while Odegaard has also shared the burden at times.
Saka has scored an impressive 15 goals and assisted 13 across competitions for the Gunners this season.
Mikel Arteta hails Arsenal's mentality in Burnley win
Mikel Arteta's Arsenal have been ruthless in the last few weeks, scoring 21 times in their last five Premier League outings.
Hailing his side's mentality, Arteta said after the Burnley win (via the club's website):
"We want more, and we know how important the goal difference is to be up there. Every player, whether he plays one minute or 30 minutes, the contribution they are willing to give to the team is really positive, so let’s keep doing it."
The Gunners are in the midst of an intense title race with Liverpool and Manchester City. They're second and two points behind the Reds (57) and two clear of Pep Guardiola's men, who have a game in hand.
Up next is a first-leg Round of 16 UEFA Champions League clash against FC Porto on Wednesday (February 21), following which they host Newcastle United at home three days later.