Despite Arsenal’s seven-point lead, Mikel Arteta warns ‘It’s a long way’ to the end of the season

Mikel Arteta warned there was still a long way to go in the title race after his Arsenal side capitalized on slip-ups from Manchester City and Newcastle to extend their lead to seven points.

After City and Newcastle drew at home, Martin Odegaard-inspired Arsenal held off a late comeback from Brighton to extend their lead at the top of the table.

Arsenal could take it further to 10 points if they beat third-placed Newcastle on Tuesday before Manchester City travel to Chelsea on Thursday.

Mikel Arteta said “there’s still a long way to go” despite ending 2022 seven points clear at the top

But Arteta said: “There’s still a long way to go. My excitement comes when I go into the dressing room when the players are talking about what they should have done better today.

“It means they know we can still play better and be better and against Newcastle we have to be better.

“We knew the result [of the Manchester City game] But the drive is that we have to come here and win, and to do that we have to play at the highest level in the league.

“It doesn’t mean anything because our only focus is on improving again.”

The result means Arsenal have a chance to gain ten points before Manchester City play next

Arteta was pleased that despite the 4-2 win, his players were still focused on how they could improve

Captain Odegaard pulled the strings for Arsenal, scoring his second goal and setting up Gabriel Martinelli’s crucial fourth goal seconds after Brighton had a chance to reduce to 3-2.

Bukayo Saka struck Arsenal’s opener after just 65 seconds and Eddie Nketiah had made Arsenal 3-0 almost as quickly in the second half.

It continued the impressive return of Arsenal’s front players since losing Gabriel Jesus to a knee injury at the World Cup, when Saka, Martinelli and Nketiah also scored to fire them to West Ham’s win on Boxing Day.

Arteta said of Odegaard and his fellow attackers: “He again [Odegaard] does what we want him to do, which is to decide football games and work that he really had and provide the team with what it needs at every moment of every game, which is different.

Arteta praised Odegaard’s performance along with that of his teammates as they sealed the win

“The four front players scored again. Eddie hits again, Bukayo and Martinelli. Even in crucial moments. That’s what we want these players to decide football games when the team needs it and they do it.”

Roberto De Zerbi, Brighton head coach said: “It was a strange game, conceding four goals at crucial moments but we played a good game. We were definitely better in the second half.

“I respect Arsenal very much. They have fantastic players, a fantastic manager, but I think Arsenal are lucky to win this game, but to win the Premier League sometimes you have to be lucky.

Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi doesn’t accept Alexis Mac Allister could leave the club any time soon

De Zerbi, meanwhile, refused to stoke talk of a move for world champion midfielder Alexis Mac Allister, who has been linked with Chelsea and Juventus.

He added: “All I can say is that Mac Allister is at Brighton for now, he’s a very important player who I don’t know and don’t want to know about the transfer market session. If you ask me about some new players in my team, I can answer in my club, but that’s all I can tell you.