Mikel Arteta has warned Liverpool that Arsenal are “not going to stop” fighting for the Premier League title after securing a late win against Leicester City, four days after Arne Slot’s side dropped points to Everton.
The Gunners closed the gap on Liverpool to just four points thanks to Mikel Merino’s double off the bench while operating as a makeshift forward in the absence of injured duo Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus.
The impressive win, without any recognised strikers taking the field, arrived in the same week that Everton’s James Tarkowski netted a dramatic 98th-minute equaliser at Goodison Park to hold Liverpool to a 2-2 draw.
All attention will now shift to Liverpool’s clash against Wolves, live on Super Sunday, with Arteta insisting his team will give chasing down the league leaders a “real go” with 13 games remaining for the Gunners.
“We really want it,” Arteta told TNT Sports when asked about his message to Liverpool.
“Regardless of what happens or the difficulties we’re going to face, we’re going to give this a real go.
Arsenal’s Mikel Merino celebrates after scoring their opening goal (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)
“The team wants it, we’ve had seven or eight months working on that. We’re not going to stop, let’s see how far we can go!”
Arsenal are now unbeaten in their last 15 games in the top-flight, with 10 wins arriving throughout this impressive run, but now face a challenging set of fixtures as they prepare to face West Ham, Nottingham Forest, Manchester United and Chelsea across the next month.
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Arteta continued: “It’s a decent week. Let’s see what happens.
“We can only do what’s in our control. But you come to any ground and it’s a nightmare. It’s difficult, you have to be at your best to win. It’s going to be a long run.”
What Arteta said to Merino
Leandro Trossard was the first player tasked with leading the line for Arsenal against Leicester but after a tepid display, Arteta was forced into a rethink with time ticking down.
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Arsenal manager heaped praise on midfielder Mikel Merino for his two goals as a striker against Leicester
Raheem Sterling had struggled throughout the game and within minutes of being replaced by Merino and Trossard shifting out wide, the match was won thanks to the former’s quickfire double.
Asked what he said to the midfielder-by-trade before utilising him as a makeshift forward for the first time in his career, Arteta said: “That he was going to score. He’s a real goal threat.
“The moment they started moving deeper and we were more set in the final third, we thought he could deliver those moments. But it’s easier to say it than get it done!
“Mikel has never played as a nine. But he has that timing, he can smell danger, anticipate danger. And then he can execute it.
“It was a lot of debate. I didn’t want to drive him crazy. I said to him this morning that he might play there, we believe he could sit there if the game needed the context. He won the game for us.”
Mikel Arteta following the 2-0 win for Arsenal against Leicester
Arsenal stay in the title hunt
Sky Sports’ Sam Blitz:
The critics were waiting for Arsenal, internal and external. It looked like they didn’t have enough up top. It looked like the failure to act in January would cost them.
But up stepped Mikel Merino, of all people, to be Arsenal’s centre forward for the final few minutes. He scored twice.
Edging past second bottom in the table isn’t the sign of champions but the bounce-back-ability from setbacks is.
Arsenal have hung in the title race all season despite injury after injury, red card after red card. They’re still there!
