Arteta talks Premier League title after victory at Chelsea

Mueez Ajao

– First Arsenal brushed aside Tottenham. Then overcame Liverpool. And now the Gunners will spend another few days at the top of the Premier League table after another statement win over Chelsea.

– After Manchester City went to the summit on Saturday courtesy of Erling Haaland’s 95th-minute penalty against Fulham, Arsenal responded with a 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge.

– Mikel Arteta’s side are two points clear of second-placed City after 13 matches.

Also Read: Arsenal reclaim top spot with win over Chelsea

– City, chasing a fifth title in six seasons, will return to the top if they beat Brentford at Etihad Stadium next Saturday in the early kick-off.

– However, Arsenal will get to spend the following six weeks at the summit if they defeat Wolves at Molineux on the same day in the late kick-off.

– There are no Premier League matches after 13 November until 26 December because of the World Cup, which starts on 20 November.

– Arteta said his players reached a “new level” in their victory over Chelsea, Arsenal’s 11th top-flight win of the season.

– “It’s a really young team, but they played as a really mature team and it’s a big step against this opposition,” said the Arsenal boss.

– The Gunners have not won the title since 2003-04. Can they really sustain a serious challenge post-World Cup?

– Arsenal have won three consecutive Premier League games against so-called ‘big six’ opponents for the first time since April 2012.

– They are the only side to have scored in every top-flight game so far this season, while no team has kept more clean sheets than the Gunners so far (6).

– They are averaging 2.61 points per game after dropping just five points all season. If they carry on at this rate, they will end up on 99 points, six more than City managed last season when they won the league.

– Despite his side’s excellent start to the campaign, Arteta is unwilling to talk up his side’s credentials as title contenders.

– Arsenal finished 24 points behind champions Manchester City last season, and the Spaniard said: “We are getting much better as a team and competing much better.

– “We are getting really good results right now, but this is long, long.

– “Just look at the last six years, what Manchester City have done. With the best manager in the world, the best team in the world.

– “They have shown it consistently in every single competition. We have to be very, very respectful of that.”