The scenes on the pitch and Oleksandr Zinchenko’s celebrations in the stands show that Arsenal’s victory over Liverpool is important.
Bukayo Saka scored twice, contributing to Gabriel Martinelli’s early attack to give Mikel Arteta’s men a crucial 3-2 win at the Emirates Stadium.
Everything is going well for table toppers Arsenal this season
And maybe the fans are starting to dream
Visibly ecstatic, Zinchenko threw his arms in the air as Saka ran to the corner to celebrate with his teammates after converting the winner from the penalty spot.
The win was a huge step in the right direction as Arsenal passed another test of their title records after knocking Tottenham out in last weekend’s derby in north London.
talkSPORT’s Graeme Souness called on Arsenal to deliver results against Liverpool and Manchester City, who have set the standard in their highly competitive title races of late.
Now that one of those tests has passed, Gunners fans will start dreaming – if they haven’t already started dreaming – but Arteta was quick to clear up questions about whether his team can hold out.
Arteta told talkSPORT: “We are now at the top. I think it takes too long to discuss that topic. The teams we’ve played in praise Liverpool for what they’ve done over the past five seasons, Man City for what they’ve done. Everyone goes after each other.
“Today we’ll be there, tomorrow I don’t know.”
Arteta was calm in his post-match interview but was typically animated as he celebrated Arsenal’s win
And talkSPORT’s Micky Gray believes the threat from Man City may be a step too far for Arteta’s young side.
Commenting for talkSPORT, Gray said: “The big question for Arsenal for many years has been: do they have the longevity?
“All it takes is to bring one superstar to your dressing room and they did that in Gabriel Jesus.
When asked if Arsenal will help City to the title this season, he replied: “No, they won’t.
Could Arteta beat his former boss for the title?
“But in a one-time match [against City]… that’s the big test for Arteta to see how far Arsenal have really come, because Manchester City have improved, Arsenal have certainly improved, but is the test too much for Arsenal?
“I think it may be going for the Premier League title, but Arsenal look like they will finish easily in the top four.”
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