Mikel Arteta says ‘sacrifices and commitment’ paying off in Arsenal’s title push

Mikel Arteta believes Arsenal’s sacrifices are starting to pay off with his team guaranteed to start 2026 in control of the Premier League title race.

The Gunners will head into the New Year at the top of the table following Tuesday’s emphatic 4-1 triumph over Aston Villa at the Emirates.

Arteta’s players turned in an impressive second-half performance to send out a statement to the rest of the league as the north London team bid to end their 22-year wait for a title.

And when asked if the victory against Unai Emery’s in-form Villa fuels belief in his squad that this could finally be their season, Arteta replied: “It’s belief, and it’s energy as well because they put in so much.

“We’re playing every two and a half days, the schedule is very, very demanding, we have some very tough matches and injuries but the players are still winning, so winning helps all that.

“All the sacrifices and commitment that you put in gets reflected in results and great performances and that’s so satisfying, but we know there’s still so much to play for.

“It’s a great way to end the year, that’s for sure. We’ll have a good night with our families (on New Year’s Eve), but then the next day we are in, and we have to go to Bournemouth (on Saturday), and we know what that means.”

After slender one-goal wins in their three previous fixtures against Wolves, Everton and Brighton, Arsenal delivered a four-goal haul for the first time since they saw off Tottenham at the Emirates on November 23.

Arsenal have enjoyed an impressive record at home, dropping points in just one of their fixtures so far – a 1-1 draw against Manchester City in September.

And Martin Zubimendi, who joined Gabriel, Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Jesus in scoring for the rampant hosts, said: “We needed this game.

“We were playing at home, we wanted to finish the year at the top of the table and against Aston Villa, great team, tactically they are almost perfect, so we’re very happy with the performance.

“In the first half we were struggling a little bit with the counter-attacks. At half-time, we adjusted some movements and in the second half, when we scored the first and the second, the game was then so open and we managed to score four.

“We noticed the willingness of the crowd, always pushing, always wanting more. They pushed us to score one, two, three and four, so we’re very happy for us and for them as well.”