Arteta happy with “crucial” win as Arsenal move six points clear of City
Dubai: Arsenal put themselves back in the driver’s seat for the Premier League title with a dominant 3-0 win over Fulham on Saturday.
The victory takes the side six points clear of title challengers Manchester City and while the Citizens have two games in hand, the pressure is back on Pep Guardiola's team for the time being.
Just days prior to their win, Arsenal had been involved in a demanding Champions League tie away from home against Atletico Madrid, a fixture that tested both their physical and mental limits.
Yet, if there were fears that fatigue might derail their domestic momentum, Arteta’s side quickly put them to rest with a controlled and energetic performance.
The 44-year-old was full of praise for his players after the win, highlighting both their mentality and execution.
He said: “I'm very happy with the team performance, and the individual performances within that performance.
“We knew how difficult it was going to be, especially coming back from Madrid so late on Thursday afternoon and the energy that we spent in that game, and understanding that you don't want to talk about it if you have a huge game in a few days here.
“But we talked about hunger and about having the ability to focus and be so determined on what we had to do.”
Arsenal looked sharp from the opening whistle, and despite the demanding schedule, there was little sign of fatigue.
Arteta pointed to the impact of squad rotation and freshness within the group, adding: “We had some fresh legs from a few players. You could notice that big time because the individual performance increased and then the team flowed in a different way.
“The moment that we did that, I think we engaged the supporters and when that happens and you create the atmosphere that you saw at the Emirates, we make it very, very difficult for the opponent.”
Beyond just the result, the manner of the victory was what pleased the Arsenal manager most.
He emphasised the importance of momentum at this stage of the season: “It was a critical game because we know the importance of the win and the manner in which we've done it, the whole difference in the Premier League and because this game was going to carry a lot of energy towards the next game, and it's certainly going to do that.”
Manchester City still remain firmly in the race, sitting with two games in hand. They travel to face Everton away on Monday night, a fixture that could prove tricky given the intensity of the Premier League run-in.
Arsenal, meanwhile, have a comparatively favourable final stretch. They face a struggling West Ham side next, followed by already-relegated Burnley, before closing the season against Crystal Palace on the final day, a side who could be focused on a possibly upcoming European final.
The Gunners have shown that the 2-1 defeat to Manchester City a few weeks ago has not knocked their nerve at this crucial stage of the season.
If anything, their response since then has underlined a side still fully locked in and determined to go the distance this time round.
Declan Rice’s defiant post-match message of “it’s not over” in the aftermath of that loss may well come to be remembered as a defining moment in Arsenal’s campaign if they go on to lift the title.
