Arsenal seem to have found their groove again after they won at St James’ Park on Sunday. Arsenal faced a tough challenge in an in-form Newcastle side however they overcame the Magpies to stay in the title race with three games to go.
The two goals Arsenal scored came from the captain Martin Odegaard, who netted a brilliant finish from outside the box and Gabriel Martinelli, who forced Schar to put one in his own net.
When speaking during the post match interview, Mikel Arteta said:
“We had to remember how we felt a year ago when we were here. Today had to be different. We had to play the game with a different level of implication, intelligence and maturity, and we showed a real fight today and a desire to win.”
“They are creating something important here, that atmosphere was rocking. They have a great team, great organisation, great individuals, and we won here. That, in my opinion, is a big statement as well with how far we’ve come.”
This game meant that Arsenal have now won two games in a row following their winless run of three games which started at Anfield, followed by a draw at West Ham and then against Southampton which gave Manchester City the advantage in the title race.
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Manchester City currently sit on top of the table only one point over Arsenal, however Pep Guardiola’s side do have a game in hand on the Gunners.
Speaking on the past few days, the Arsenal boss said:
“It’s been critical because it’s the most important part of the season, the nicest part of the season. Today we are second, but to play for the championship with three games to go against this team, and win, it doesn’t get better than that. ”
However, Arteta has issued a warning not only to his players but also to his staff members about “giving up” on the title. He suggested that he wants everyone to keep fighting despite the conditions.
When asked about the remaining fixtures of the season, Arteta said:
“If you want to be involved in elite sport, you have to embrace those moments. There’s no giving up. I saw a lot of people after the City game almost turning back. I hate that, I’m not going to accept that from anybody, from the team, any members of staff.”
“We have to keep going because you never know. We have to keep digging – we’ve done it for 10 months, now is the moment to do it even harder than before.”
