Arsenal are building momentum again after their bad patch but must maintain their resurgent form, manager Mikel Arteta said after his side’s 5-2 demolition of West Ham United on Saturday.
The victory lifted Arsenal back to second place in the Premier League and confirmed they have engaged top gear again after a run of four winless league games before this month’s international break.
Gabriel, Leandro Trossard, skipper Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka were all on target in a frenetic seven-goal first half at the London Stadium as Arsenal moved to 25 points, six behind Liverpool who host troubled champions Manchester City at Anfield on Sunday.
“Yeah, we’ve got some momentum. I think we have some flow back, a real determination, winning consecutive matches against three opponents is great,” Arteta, who side beat Nottingham Forest 3-0 last Saturday and then followed up by beating Sporting 5-1 away in the Champions League, told reporters.
“We’re going to enjoy tonight and watch a beautiful game of football tomorrow. We are in a great moment right now.
“But in football be on your toes and prepare the best way possible,” added the Spaniard whose side host Manchester United in the Premier League on Wednesday.
The return to fitness of captain Odegaard after a long lay-off with an ankle injury has been a major boost for Arsenal, while Saka looked rejuvenated after sitting out the last England camp with a niggling injury.
As well as his penalty, Saka added two more assists on Saturday, taking his tally for the season to 10 in 13 games, four more than the next-best total of Mohamed Salah.
“Incredible. Because it is the hardest thing to do in football, so a player who can believe in those moments can impact the scoreline in that way, you know, the value of that is tremendous,” Arteta said of Saka.
Saka was unplayable at times in the first half especially with Arsenal toying with their London rivals.
“Today was a top performance from us and we scored a lot of goals – we are playing good football right now and we want to continue like this,” he said. “We are back to our best form. We look fluid and dynamic we are all enjoying it right now.
“It has been a top week for us. We have built a lot of momentum and we want to go on to the next few games.”
