Mikel Arteta has asked his Arsenal players to “give a little more” in the last 10 remaining Premier League games as the Gunners close in on their first league title since 2004.
Arsenal became the first team in English Football League history to win nine London derbies in a single league season, and their latest success means they head into the international break with an eight-point lead over their rivals by the title, Manchester City, despite having played one game. further.
Bukayo Saka starred once again in Sunday’s 4-1 win over Crystal Palace, scoring twice and setting up the opener for Gabriel Martinelli, becoming the first Premier League player this season to reach double figures in both goals and goals. in assists.
Four years on from cursing his own fans when they cheered for his substitution in this match, Granit Xhaka’s fine season continued when he converted home the third after the break.
“I’m very happy and very satisfied with the way we started the game and how we reacted to Thursday,” said Arteta, referring to the start of the Europa League penalty shootout at the hands of Sporting Lisbon.
“We took away any question marks. We showed a lot of determination and a lot of purpose in the way we played. I’m very happy with the way we played after playing 120 minutes, after losing two players [William Saliba and Takehiro Tomiyasu]I am very satisfied with what we show.
Asked if Saka is the best player in the Premier League in its current form, Arteta replied: “The team did very well and of course we have very good players who excel at the level we want. But again he was very good”. today and he really affected the result with his input, especially in the opposite box.”
Tomiyasu left the Emirates having watched the match from the stands wearing a knee brace and crutches. The Japan international is expected to undergo surgery that is likely to rule him out for the remainder of the season.
Saka (12 goals, 10 assists) became the first player to reach 10+ goals and 10+ assists in the Premier League this season
It’s time for Arsenal to prove their depth once again in a season that is missing key personnel at regular intervals.
“We don’t know,” Arteta added when asked if Tomiyasu might miss the rest of the season. “The doctor is going to evaluate him. We have had an evaluation and tomorrow there will be another. [Monday]. It doesn’t look good, that’s for sure. He’s not someone who likes to exaggerate things, so we know he’s serious. He was immediately concerned and we are concerned.
“We hope it’s better news for William [Saliba]. We have to wait until tomorrow to get a better picture. We have already lost players this season. we have lost gabby [Gabriel Jesus] for four months, Thomas Partey for a month and a half, Oleksandr Zinchecnko for a month and a half, we have lost Mohamed Elneny for six or eight months.
“Now we’ve lost Eddie [Nketiah]Tomiyasu and Saliba.
“Everybody has to give a little more. It’s not a secret. If you want to maintain that level, everybody has to step in and give a little more. Rob [Holding] It’s an example of what we needed today.”
It was during the last international break that Arsenal lost Jesus to injury, so Arteta will naturally be nervous over the next two weeks to ensure his international players return unscathed from their commitments to their respective countries.
“I want to think positive and knock on wood! They have to play and they have to represent their country. They know how to take care of them and I hope everything goes well.”
“They have to take care of themselves in this period now. Players who leave have to come back with the same hungry mentality. Right now the only important game for us is the next one against Leeds.”
McCarthy laments the lack of avant-garde: When it rains, it pours
Palace came within inches of taking the lead when Wilfried Zaha’s deflected shot bounced off a post, the ball hitting goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale in the back before twisting wide.
The Eagles, who sacked former Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira on Friday, at least got on the scoresheet when Jeffrey Schlupp’s second-half consolation under caretaker boss Paddy McCarthy ended a nearly seven-hour scoreless run. .
“It’s been hectic,” Acting Chief McCarthy said of the past few days. “But we’ve tried to protect the players from that as much as possible. The start of the game was really encouraging and we had a chance to keep going. We knew we had to be in our game today to stop a very good Arsenal team.” .
“If we had taken one of those opportunities earlier, it might have been a different result today.
Gabriel Martinelli of Arsenal celebrates his first match
“I haven’t had time to think about anything other than preparing the team for today’s game. My only focus has been on this. There have been no talks. I’m interested in doing what the football club wants.” to do. I have been here for 15 years. Whatever this club needs me to do right now, I’ll do it.”
Palace remain in 12th position but are just three points out of the relegation zone as the wait for a Premier League win in 2023 continues.
Chairman Steve Parish, who was present at the Emirates, will spend the next two weeks searching for Vieira’s successor, and McCarthy has not ruled out taking the job permanently.
Asked what Palace needed to stop the slip, McCarthy said: “Belief. They have so much quality there and they just have to believe in themselves. The chances we created today were a positive aspect of our game. With defenders, Arsenal They will always create chances.
It is the most wins for the Gunners in their first 28 games of a league campaign.
“The fourth goal was disappointing as we were in the game 3-1. It’s a completely different story, but 4-1 makes it look a little worse than it actually was.”
“We’ve shown today that we can create opportunities against one of the defenses in the division for them to take positive things out of that. Joachim [Andersen] He has a calf injury. He felt a twinge in his calf just before kickoff. When it rains it pours.
“When you’re in this situation, you need players who have been through the mill. Tomks [James Tomkins] He had 15 minutes of lateral warm-up to start and I thought he did brilliantly under the circumstances.
“We will need the experience to help us. Players who have been through experiences like this will play a big role in the coming weeks.”
Hits and misses: Arrogant Arsenal marching towards the title
Bukayo Saka provided his 25th Premier League assist, aged 21 years and 195 days; only Cesc Fàbregas (20y 134d), Wayne Rooney (21y 63d) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (21y 140d) reached 25 assists being younger in the competition
Adam Bate from Sky Sports:
Arsenal exuded confidence and calm at the Emirates Stadium. This was the performance of a team that believes they are marching towards the Premier League title. The mood could easily have been different, nerve-racking, but that’s not Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal now.
That penalty shootout loss to Sporting in the Europa League, which included extra time, of course, was not the ideal preparation for this game against Crystal Palace. It was also an awkward start, the away team having the first two shots, Wilfried Zaha hitting the post.
But Arsenal once again showed that they can go through the gears. Gabriel Martinelli, who missed the crucial shot on Thursday, is the Premier League’s on-form goalscorer with six goals in his last six games. No one else, not even Erling Haaland, comes close. He scored the first and Palace was overwhelmed.
Arsenal claimed their 22nd Premier League win of the season, as many as they had in the entire last term.
The partnership of the brilliant Bukayo Saka with Ben White on the right has blossomed. Both were exceptional. But now there are partnerships all over the pitch for Arsenal, and new ones popping up all the time. The third goal saw Leandro Trossard feed Granit Xhaka.
An eight-point lead at the top, though with Manchester City one game down, feels big for a very simple reason: Arsenal look like the best team in this Premier League. The idea that City will control them is based on the notion that their supposed superiority will tell.
What if that needs to be recalibrated? In the first 28 Premier League games, there have been few signs of Arsenal’s fragility. The accessories are marked, the challenges are overcome. Ten games to go and while the fans may be nervous, this Arsenal team isn’t.
Whats Next?
Arsenal continue your title search when host threatened with relegation leeds Saturday, April 1 at 3:00 p.m. Then they go to Liverpool Sunday April 9, live sky sports.
When crystal Palace they return after the international break in March, their next six matches being against teams below them in the table.
The last time the Eagles played a team below them in the league was against Bournemouth on New Year’s Eve in 2022, which was Vieira’s last win in charge.
Palace face relegation rivals leicester at home on Saturday, April 1 at 3:00 p.m. before heading to leeds on Sunday April 9. They follow more important parties in southampton and at home to Everton.
