Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, and Alexandre Lacazette ran Norwich City ragged as Arsenal won again with a stylish 5-0 defeat of Norwich City at Carrow Road on Sunday.
The Gunners had 65 percent of the ball, 80 percent of the shots, and a quintet of goals in pulling three points back of third-place Chelsea before the Blues 12:30pm ET kickoff on Boxing Day.
WATCH NORWICH VS ARSENAL FULL MATCH REPLAY STREAM - LINK
Saka scored twice, Lacazette had two assists, and Lacazette won and converted a penalty in addition to an assist as Arsenal led after six minutes and took a 2-0 lead into the break.
Kieran Tierney and Emile Smith-Rowe also scored for the fourth-place Gunners, leaving the basement-dwelling hosts without a goal in December.
Norwich is three points back of 17th-place Watford and six back of Leeds.
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Norwich vs Arsenal final score, stats
Norwich City 0-5 Arsenal
Scorers: Saka 6', 67, Tierney 44', Lacazette 84', Smith-Rowe 90'+1
Shot attempts: Norwich City 4-16 Arsenal
Shots on goal: Norwich City 2-6 Arsenal
Possession: Norwich City 35-65 Arsenal
Three things from Norwich vs Arsenal
1. Christmas Saka: Opta brings us this brilliant nugget about young Arsenal electrician Bukayo Saka -- The 20-year-old is the second-youngest player to score 10+ Premier League goals for Arsenal, following only Nicolas Anelka. He’s absolutely dynamite when in form, which is pretty much as often as you’ll see it from a player his age. The off-days are going to happen, but Mikel Arteta continues to push all the right buttons when it comes to his English wizard.
2. Norwich should quit Boxing Day: The Canaries have played eight times on Boxing Day in the Premier League. They have taken one point from those 720 minutes, which is obviously four fewer than the goals they gave up to Arsenal on Sunday (Thank you, St. Amelia School mathematics classes). You can run -- and Norwich did -- but you can’t hide when defenders are substandard. The fixtures haven’t helped at all with Tottenham, Man United, Villa, and Arsenal on the list, but Norwich’s December is four losses with no goals scored, and 11 goals conceded. Yeeeeeesh.
3. Arteta entertains without Aubameyang, but real tests begin now: Mikel Arteta took over the Gunners with a vow to fix the defense, and he backed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s plan to break open Arsenal’s bank account on a long-term deal. One of those has worked, as the Gunners’ four-match winning run includes 14 goals scored and just once conceded (throw in a 5-1 defeat of Sunderland in the League Cup and you’re smiling big if you’re a Gooner).
All that said, the Gunners next have to break down a solid Wolves before hosting Man City, welcoming Liverpool in the League Cup semifinal, and then heading to Nottingham Forest for an FA Cup match prior to the North London derby. Judgment, for better or worse, is coming.
Man of the Match: Martin Odegaard
Discussed as captain material, the Norwegian assisted Arsenal’s first two goals and is the sort of player who screams the style in which Gooners view their club.
