Bukayo Saka has said that Thierry Henry messaged him on Saturday morning ahead of Arsenal's 2-0 win over West Ham United as the 24-year-old looked to emulate a record set by the club legend.
Saka, who captained the side after Martin Ødegaard was forced off with an injury in the first half, made his 200th appearance as his side hosted London rivals West Ham. He converted from the penalty spot to become the second Arsenal player, behind Henry, to score when bringing up his double century.
Arsenal's win saw them leapfrog Premier League leaders Liverpool and they will remain in top spot after Arne Slot's side lost 2-1 at Stamford Bridge later on Saturday.
"Thierry messaged me this morning to remind we lost the last two games to West Ham at home," Saka told Sky Sports after the match.
"He is always pushing me. I am really happy to have my name with his records."
The Hale End graduate also registered his 100th Premier League goal involvement after converting a penalty won by Jurriën Timber, making him the seventh youngest player to reach a century of goal involvements in England's top flight.
"It's exceptional what he's doing at his age," Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said. "The impact he has on those matches, it's very difficult to do I'm very happy for him.
"He's super consistent and willing to learn constantly. He finds ways to find goals. He will grow and become more mature. Hopefully he'll keep impacting the team."
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However, it was not an entirely positive 300th match in charge for manager Arteta after captain Ødegaard was forced off after 30 minutes with an issue to his left knee.
After the game, Arteta revealed that it is not looking good for the Norway international after he became the first player in Premier League history to be substituted before half-time in three consecutive starts in the League.
"With Martin [Ødegaard] it was a clash knee to knee," Arteta said post-match. "It's not looking very positive at the moment."
Information from ESPN's Global Sports Research contributed to this report.