MIKEL ARTETA says Arsenal have sent out a title statement after opening up a five-point lead at the top of the Premier League.
And the delighted Gunners boss insists there will be no letting up after their crushing 4-0 win against struggling Everton.
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He said: “This win is a statement that we’re here and we want to continue like this.
“What I like is that everyone has the enthusiasm to do it and we’re not going to stop.
“We’re where we are in the table because of the way we work, we have really good players and a good connection that adds to everything.
“There’s a lot of expectations but we will just focus on what we can control and let the rest happen naturally.
“When I look at them I see how much they want it every single day and how much they want to please our people.
“I had no doubt that we would turn things around and I am really pleased with where the team are now.
“Tonight I was very happy with the way we dealt with our game in hand against an opponent that we knew would make life really difficult for us.
“We started the game with some frustration and we needed a magic moment from Bukayo Saka to unlock things.
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“The timing of the two goals just before-half was key and after that we grew and deserved to win the game.”
Everton had started a serious Arsenal wobble last month when his side notched a shock-and-awe win over Mikel Arteta’s men in his first game.
Defeat on Merseyside on February 4 had sparked a run of just one point from a possible nine as Arsenal briefly lost the leadership to Manchester City.
But now, courtesy of Bukaya Saka’s opener, a double from Gabriel Martinelli and a Martin Odegaard strike, the Gunners are five points clear at the summit after three straight wins.
This was Everton’s 100th League defeat by Arsenal and a result that leaves them in a ton of trouble in the relegation zone.
Boss Sean Dyche said: “For 40 minutes we were doing well against a top side, but then we gave them a soft goal and it was hard to legislate for their second.
“I’ve got no explanation for that one and I was super frustrated to come in at half-time 2-0 down.
“There’s been too many soft goals conceded since I’ve been here and too many individual errors.
“But that’s been a problem for a while and there’s no easy fix. We need to bring the mentality we show in home games into our away performances.
“There’s a chance that Dominic Calvert-Lewin could be back for the game against Nottingham Forest at the weekend but we can’t pin all our hopes of scoring on one player.”
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