Martin Odegaard lamented the “rather subdued” atmosphere at Tottenham Hotspur following Manchester City’s 2-0 victory, which dealt a blow to Arsenal’s Premier League title aspirations heading into the final day.
Erling Haaland’s brace secured a vital win for Pep Guardiola’s team in north London, where many Spurs fans had openly expressed a preference for defeat over seeing their rivals Arsenal gain ground at the top of the table.
Despite a commendable effort from the Lilywhite players, including a close chance from captain Son Heung-min, Tottenham couldn’t find the net. This result left Arsenal hoping for points dropped by Manchester City, but now they must throw their support behind West Ham United in the title race.
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In his pre-match programme notes, Odegaard outlined the team’s determination to focus on their task at hand, emphasizing the need to secure a win and maintain their fighting spirit until the end.
Reflecting on recent matches and the tense title race, Odegaard observed, “We always knew we would need to win, so in that way nothing has changed. Before the Manchester United match last week we had spoken together about how we absolutely had to take the fight to the last day. We knew what we were playing for: the possibility to come back to our home on the final day with everything still to play for, and to give ourselves the chance to win it here.
“It was all about just getting the win that day, so we have to be happy with that, even though we know it wasn’t our best performance. The difference this year has been that we can win these types of games as well and that’s a good sign. Again our defending from all over the pitch was unbelievable. So overall it was a good win, but not the best football from us.
“Then we were hoping for Manchester City to drop points on Tuesday. I watched most of that game, and I have to say it seemed like it was played in a really strange atmosphere. In fairness it looked as though the Tottenham players were trying to win because they knew they were still fighting for the Champions League, but the stadium sounded very quiet.
“But as I said, our approach to this last game stays the same anyway – we have to win. We have to stay focused on ourselves, keep the spirit high and keep believing in what we’re doing. Make sure we do our job and fight until the end.
“The task is clear now: if we win, and Manchester City don’t, then it’s all for us. The only thing we can do is what we’ve done all season: keep our focus where we should, and play our game. We’re back at the Emirates which is what we want on the last day, so let’s see what happens.”