Sensational Arsenal striker Bukayo Saka said the pain the players felt when they were knocked out of the FA Cup will motivate them to fight for the Premier League title.
Arsenal lost to Liverpool, who are currently top of the table, in the third round of the FA Cup this month.
The Gunners’ fight at the top had faltered towards the end of last year as they lost three of their past five Premier League games.
But Arsenal reignited their Premier League title challenge after defeating Crystal Palace 5-0 at Emirates Stadium on Saturday evenin and move within two points of Premier League leaders Liverpool.
The win moves Mikel Arteta’s side above Aston Villa into third – with the pressure on Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool to extend their lead at the top as they travel to Bournemouth on Sunday
“This match was so important to build the momentum again,” England winger Saka told TNT Sports.
“Going out of the FA Cup really hurt me so I’m sure we’ll use that to push on in the Premier League and the Champions League next month. When you look at the league you want to be first – not fourth, or sixth or third. You want to be first.”
Mikel Arteta’s side returned reinvigorated from their warm-weather training camp as a Gabriel header, Dean Henderson own goal, Leandro Trossard finish and two late Gabriel Martinelli strikes sealed the three points.
“Dubai was really nice for us to have that break,” Saka added. “We weren’t in the best form before that and it helped us refresh and work on the things we needed to.
“We all knew we could score goals. We believe in ourselves and you saw that because we scored five and we’re happy with our performance.
“I needed the [rest] to be honest. The break came at the right time. We’re all hungry to push strongly until the end of the season.”
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