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LONDON. — Mikel Arteta watched his Arsenal team temporarily return to the top of the English Premier League football table with victory over Chelsea on Tuesday night before insisting he would not let his players’ heads drop.
The Gunners were eight points clear last month but had fallen behind Manchester City following a run of four winless game – a streak that ended with a comfortable 3-1 win over the beleaguered Blues on Tuesday night.
Captain Martin Odegaard scored twice before Gabriel Jesus wrapped up the win before half-time as Noni Madueke’s first league goal proved a mere consolation for Frank Lampard’s visitors.
Despite their recent run, Arteta had refused to rule Arsenal out of the title race and this win took them two points clear – although they have played two more games than City.
The Spaniard admitted he did not want to see morale fall after a galling loss at City last week saw their lead all but dashed.
‘’It is four games to go, we are at the top right now,’’ he said.
‘’We cannot do that (let heads drop), to be where we are after 10 months against the team we are fighting against, being there and having the possibility to be top – we have to enjoy it and embrace it, maximise the opportunity that we have because we don’t know what is going to happen.
‘’We wanted to have a very different approach to the game, and we did it right from the beginning.
‘’The team is back to its best. We wanted to prove we had that fire in the belly. I could see that in the last few days, and we prepared (for) the game well.
‘’Mentally we arrived in the right mood and with the right level of energy. Everything went for us as well, which is important.
‘’We’ve had a couple of difficult weeks with very different games, with a lot of emotions involved. We’re back to the top of the league – let’s see what happens.’’
While it was a night to remember for skipper Odegaard, it was one his predecessor will want to forget in a hurry. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang started for Chelsea for the first time since facing the Gunners on November 6 but lasted just 45 minutes before being substituted, having had nine touches – four of which were kick-offs.
Arteta was full of praise for Odegaard and the example set by the Norway international.
‘’He has 14 goals this season, his contribution to the team, his leadership skills, I’m really pleased with him,’’ he added.
‘’He has been exceptional for us, his contribution every single day. I think he has done that (set the tone) on many occasions. What Martin has done this season deserves a lot of credit.’’
Arteta made three changes to the Arsenal team who lost to City with the aim of shoring up his side’s defences, and though they did concede to a second-half consolation from Noni Madueke, he saw a vastly improved performance over 90 minutes from his side.
When asked what had pleased him most about the victory, he told Sky Sports: “That we were us. That’s what I demanded. I wanted to see that energy, that determination, that fluidity, that movement, that purpose in our play.
“That was there from the beginning. That led to connecting with our crowd and obviously you know what happens when we are able to do that. The goals were really helpful because they set the tone for the rest of the game.
“We knew that if we dominated them and got in the final third then they were going to have issues. In the last 30 minutes we allowed them to run and, with the players they have, in transition moments you are going to have problems.”
Arteta singled out centre-back Jakub Kiwior, making his first English Premier League start since a January move from Spezia, for seizing his opportunity after three months without a look-in on the Arsenal startling line-up.
The Polish international slotted straight into defence in place of the under-fire Rob Holding and helped restrict Chelsea to a handful of half-chances aside from Madueke’s second-half goal.
“It was a big task for him,” Arteta said. “We threw him in against big players but we believed he was ready. His partnership with [Gabriel] worked out really well. [Jorginho] gave us a bit of control and leadership in midfield. I’m very pleased with them.” — Mailonline.
Online Reporter