Arteta praises Arsenal's reaction to adversity

LONDON • The last two times Arsenal won their first four Premier League games, they won the title in 2003-04 and finished runners-up the following season.

Few pundits believe the Gunners can stay the course in terms of a title tilt, but the priority for Mikel Arteta's side will be a return to the Champions League, having been absent from the competition since 2017, and on this form, a serious top-four challenge looks possible.

Gabriel Magalhaes made amends for a dreadful error by scoring the winner in a 2-1 victory at home to Fulham on Saturday to make it four top-flight wins on the trot.

Aleksandar Mitrovic punished a mistake by the Brazilian defender to give the Cottagers a surprise lead on 56 minutes, but skipper Martin Odegaard equalised with a deflected effort just past the hour.

Gabriel bundled in the winner after a scramble at a corner with four minutes left to keep Arteta's side two points clear of reigning champions Manchester City and Brighton & Hove Albion (both on 10 points) at the top of the table.

"Big boost, winning like this is really nice," Arteta told Sky Sports.

"We made a mistake and they punished us but then how we reacted against adversity... the way we went about it, the team believed.

"They wanted to win the match, they went for it and we managed to do it."

Asked if Arsenal were primed to make a title challenge for the first time since Arsene Wenger was still at the Emirates, Arteta said: "No, this is just the start of the season. We are in a long, long marathon."

Odegaard was again pivotal to the win on Saturday.

Since his loan move from Real Madrid was made permanent last summer, the Norway midfielder has been one of Arsenal's most influential players and the 23-year-old was rewarded with the captaincy in the close season.

Having notched a brace against Bournemouth, his tally now stands at three goals in four league games and 12 in 64 appearances overall, leading pundit Gary Lineker to question why Real allowed him to leave for a bargain fee of £30 million (S$49.1 million).

"Do you know what baffles me a little bit, is how have Real Madrid let him slip away when they've got (Luka) Modric and (Toni) Kroos, who are really at the end of their careers?" he added.

"It's a strange one because he's so clearly talented, isn't he?"

On Odegaard's qualities, Arteta said: "Influence, and in difficult moments, take the ball.

"That's what he's done."

Arsenal have a big opportunity to make it five victories in a row when they host struggling Aston Villa on Wednesday before their first big test of the season - a trip to Manchester United four days later.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE