The top five moments of the year

The top five moments of the year

By Jonny Bray
2021 was Arsenal's best year since Arsene Wenger's departure back in 2018.
It's been 12 months filled with drama, heartbreak and moments of pure ecstasy.
And while there may have been very little silverware, Gunners fans could look back on this season as being the start of a new era at the Emirates.
So as the year draws to a close, it's time to pick out Arsenal's top five moments of the past 12 months.

Aaron Ramsdale's save against Leicester

Aaron Ramsdale's save against Leicester in October was a crucial - and frankly world-class - bit of goalkeeping that kept the Gunners ahead in a crucial game.
It typified the young keeper's performances this season and showed exactly why he is now considered one of the best stoppers in the country.
He's arguably been the signing of the season and has had the best start to life as Arsenal's number one since David Seaman.
If he continues like this, he'll replace Jordan Pickford as England's number one in no time.

Saka at the Euros

After a brutal 2020/21 league campaign, many Arsenal fans were relying on the English national team to put a smile on their face over the summer.
I was going to choose the match against the Czech Republic, to be more specific, but Bukayo Saka was superb all tournament, and that deserves to be recognised.
He showed that he's not just going to be a star at Arsenal for years to come, but that he has a huge future on the international stage as well.

Moving into fourth by blunting the Hammers

The recent 2-0 win against West Ham wasn't just important because it secured three points.
It was important because, for the first time, there was real confidence that the Gunners could return to the top four consistently under Arteta.
Despite spending millions in the transfer market, the Gunners have not qualified for the Champions League since the 2016-17 season.
But Arteta seems to have assembled a squad more than capable of challenging once again, and the 2-0 win against West Ham showed that - providing the springboard back into the Champions League spots.

Arsenal 5-0 Norwich

The Boxing Day 5-0 win against Norwich showed that the Gunners don't need Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to challenge at the top of the table.
It took Arsenal to 19 goals in five games, an incredible record for a side that had just given their star striker the boot.
It may not have been against the best opposition, but Arsenal ended the year with a bang.
The game could be a sign of things to come over the next 12 months, with Arsenal on the up under Arteta.

Signing Martin Ødegaard

Martin Ødegaard has already had one hell of a career at an incredibly young age.
He's played for Real Madrid, gone viral, starred on the pitch for Real Sociedad and become one of the main men for his country.But this year, he has transformed himself from an underwhelming loanee to one of Arsenal's best players. Signing him permanently was one of the best moments of 2021, while the transfer of Takehiro Tomiyasu also deserves a mention here, but we could see the best of Ødegaard in 2022 and beyond.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

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