Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has admitted that his players are driven by an intense desire to win as they continue to set the pace in the Premier League title race.
The Gunners were forced to dig deep on Saturday, edging past Brighton 2–1 in a tense encounter at the Emirates Stadium.
Captain Martin Ødegaard opened the scoring in the first half with a low, well-placed strike, before Arsenal doubled their advantage shortly after the restart through an own goal by Georginio Rutter.
Brighton responded with a goal from Diego Gomez, increasing the pressure late on. The visitors came close to equalizing, but Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya produced a superb save to preserve the lead.
Speaking on the nervy atmosphere that followed Brighton’s goal, Arteta said the tension reflected his team’s hunger for success.
“That’s the willingness to win. We all want to win so badly,” Arteta said.
“At that moment, you don’t want to lose what you have, but we also have to keep playing, keep scoring, and show composure. We should have scored the third goal.
“We had two big chances to make it 3–1, and that would have changed everything. We didn’t take them, so we had to suffer a bit more.”
The win keeps Arsenal top of the Premier League table, maintaining a two-point lead over defending champions Manchester City.
