A chaotic victory at West Ham kept the Gunners’ title hopes alive. Now, Mikel Arteta demands total focus on Burnley as injuries and VAR drama tighten the race.
Mikel Arteta told Arsenal to “just think about Burnley” after his side came through a dramatic 1-0 win over West Ham to keep their Premier League title push on track.
Arsenal needed a late Leandro Trossard goal, a crucial David Raya save and a lengthy VAR review to leave the London Stadium with all three points. Callum Wilson thought he had equalised for West Ham in stoppage time, only for the goal to be ruled out for a foul on Raya after referee Chris Kavanagh was sent to the pitchside monitor.
The result came at the end of a demanding week for Arsenal, who also had to cope with first-half injuries to Ben White and Riccardo Calafiori during a tense away game.
Speaking in his post-match press conference, Arteta said he felt pride and relief after Arsenal cleared another difficult hurdle.
“Amazing. I feel so happy, so proud. Relieved as well, because we knew the difficulty of the game, but we’ve done it,” Arteta said.
“It’s been a phenomenal week in every sense. What the team has done, the way we’ve played, the way we have approached games.”
Arsenal had started strongly against West Ham and created several early chances, but failed to take control of the match before White’s injury forced a reshuffle. Arteta later admitted his side had to stay calm after missing those opportunities and dealing with the disruption.
“What a moment, what an afternoon, what a week it’s been for us, so full of emotions,” he said.
“I cannot praise enough the attitude, the desire, the courage and the quality of the team shown throughout this week because there was so much at stake.”
Arteta also highlighted the role Arsenal supporters have played during the run-in, saying their backing has helped lift the team at a crucial stage of the season.
“What our supporters have done for us this season, all week and today as well, it’s phenomenal,” Arteta said.
“I think it changes the energy of the team.”
Arsenal now move on to Burnley, with only two Premier League games remaining. Arteta made it clear that the West Ham win cannot become a distraction, despite the emotion of the finish and the importance of the result.
“We have to live in the present now and just think about Burnley because that’s the only important thing,” he said.
The message was clear from Arteta after a chaotic afternoon in east London. Arsenal survived the pressure, took the points and stayed in the title race, but their focus must quickly shift to the next fixture. With the margins tightening at the top, Burnley now becomes the only result that matters.