Arsenal Fight Every Day To Keep Title Race Momentum, Odegaard Says

Arsenal returned to the top of the Premier League title race with a narrow 1-0 home win over Newcastle United, decided by Eberechi Eze’s ninth-minute strike, as Mikel Arteta’s team ended a two-match losing run and moved three points ahead of Manchester City.

Manchester City had briefly gone above Arsenal after beating Burnley in midweek, yet Pep Guardiola’s side now trail by three points and still hold a game in hand, keeping the Premier League title race finely balanced as the season moves towards its final weeks.

Set plays again influenced the Arsenal Premier League title race, with the club now holding the Premier League record for most goals from corners in a single season, reaching 17, while 13 of those strikes have provided the opening goal and given Arsenal a 1-0 advantage.

Only two of those 17 top-flight corner goals have come from short routines, and both those efforts have been scored against Newcastle, home and away, underlining how specific planning at dead-ball situations continues to affect the Arsenal Premier League title race against direct rivals.

Asked about the repeated use of short corners, Arteta detailed why this approach is important for the Arsenal Premier League title race, pointing to the need for surprise and analysing how Newcastle defend in such situations to create targeted chances at key moments.

Arteta told Sky Sports: "We have to be very unpredictable. When you see the way they defend, we believe it was a big opportunity for us to exploit them. The crowd reacted to the first and second one, which is understandable, but we do things because we believe they're going to give us value, and it was a great action. In the end, the ball has to arrive to the right player in the right position, and if that's the case, the chances of this happening are bigger."

Odegaard focus and effort in Arsenal Premier League title race

Martin Odegaard highlighted the physical demands after the win, stressing the attitude needed for the Arsenal Premier League title race, and emphasised the importance of responding quickly after recent defeats by securing three points that could prove crucial later in the campaign.

Odegaard told Sky Sports: "It was tough, very intense, very physical, he told Sky Sports.We did everything we could, and we got the win. The most important thing was to bounce back with a win and get over the line with the three points. This schedule is crazy. We just have to keep going. It is the end of the season. Just leave everything out that we have inside, fight every single game, and we just have to keep going."

Looking at the wider picture of the Arsenal Premier League title race, Odegaard underlined that the team expects the battle to last until the final round of fixtures, and stressed that Arsenal will maintain high effort levels throughout training and matches during this decisive period.

Odegaard added: "That's where we want to be, but it is going to go all the way to the end. We are ready for it, and we will fight every single day."

The contest was only the fourth Premier League game at the Emirates that Arsenal won 1-0 after the sole goal arrived inside the opening 10 minutes, and the first such occasion since a 1-0 victory over Bournemouth in October 2019, adding context to this latest step in the Arsenal Premier League title race.

With the early goal standing and Arsenal holding firm under pressure, the result tightened control of the Arsenal Premier League title race position, although Manchester City’s game in hand means further consistency, including from set plays, will be essential if Arteta’s side are to stay ahead.