Your team has hit a creative rut that coincided with the absence of your primary playmaker? Get him back and all your problems evaporate. So yes, the semi-frequent leaden-footed attacking, sterile possession and clumsy decision-making that reared its unfamiliar head at Arsenal over the last two months was nothing more than a team unable to cope without Martin Odegaard.

Martin Odegaard dazzled in Arsenal's 3-0 win against Nottingham Forest with Mikel Arteta and Riccardo Calafiori both lavish in their praise of the Gunners captain

Ethan Nwaneri is Arsenal's 17-year-old prodigious academy prospect - he will learn from the best, too, after Odegaard puts an end to the brief Big Sam tribute act

Their first game back after the September international break was the north London derby against Tottenham. In his pre-match press conference, Arteta refused to rule his captain out entirely, saying simply, “Players with 48 hours to go are always available, but let’s see what happens.”

LONDON - Mikel Arteta said his Arsenal team "flows in a different way" when Martin Odegaard is playing after the Gunners crushed Nottingham Forest 3-0 on Satu

Stunning strikes from Bukayo Saka, Thomas Partey and a first Premier League goal for Ethan Nwaneri sank Nottingham Forest 3-0.

On his own, Martin Odegaard is an exceptionally good footballer. The same is patently true of Bukayo Saka. Both players are undoubtedly among the very best in the Premier League.