Watch: Peter Drury’s commentary on Saka’s penalty will give you chills
Bukayo Saka stepped up to score the match-winning penalty in Arsenal’s 3-2 victory over Liverpool – and the big moment had the narration it deserved, courtesy of commentator Peter Drury.
It’s easy to forget that Saka is still just 21 years old, given how important a player he’s established himself as at Arsenal. The local Hale End academy graduate has already made over 100 Premier League appearances for his boyhood club and just seems to be getting better and better.
He enjoyed his best season yet last term, finishing as Arsenal’s top scorer with 12 goals in all competitions. That was especially impressive, considering it was off the back of a heartbreaking miss in England’s penalty shootout defeat to Italy in the Euro 2020 final at Wembley.
Saka subsequently suffered horrendous racist abuse from stone-age neanderthals, but he didn’t let that affect him. While many other big-name England internationals suffered a post-Euros hangover last season, Saka responded beautifully, making himself one of the stars of Mikel Arteta’s freshly-invigorated Gunners.
The youngster has some serious cojones, having since stepped up to score pressure penalties against Chelsea, Manchester United and now Liverpool.
“Yeah, that was a difficult moment, that was an incredible learning curve for him in his career,” Arteta told reporters in the post-match press conference.
“That’s the way he took it. Everybody around him helped to do that starting with the England national team with Gareth [Southgate] and everybody and how supportive they were. The boy didn’t hesitate to continue because he believes he can take them and under pressure he really enjoys that responsibility.”
Arteta wasn’t the only one impressed by Saka’s nerves of steel. Peter Drury has a reputation as the most poetic football commentator around and he did that reputation no harm with his latest piece of commentary.
Viewers in the United Kingdom don’t get Drury’s commentating, and often we miss out. But sure enough his best moments from NBC Sports in the United States get clipped up and shared on social media.
“This is one brave boy, Bukayo Saka,” Drury began as the forward stepped up to the penalty spot.
“Because this is one pressure penalty. He has experienced pressure from the spot like few others. He has suffered for that pressure. But now, the Emirates braces itself for a perhaps pivotal kick of the football…
“These are broad shoulders. This is courage. A sporting moment in time. Bukayo Saka… Such poise! Such noise!”
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