Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka has warned his Arsenal teammates they need to be "more clever" if they are to build on their victory over Manchester United and finish in the top four.
Xhaka was on the scoresheet in the 3-1 victory, beating David de Gea from distance for his first goal since December 2020. Nuno Tavares and Bukayo Saka were also on target, but Arsenal might have thrown away a two-goal lead were it not for Bruno Fernandes ' missed penalty after a Tavares handball.
With five games remaining, there's little margin for error for Mikel Arteta's side thanks to an earlier run of three straight defeats. The Gunners haven't kept a clean sheet since mid-March, giving up two goals in their midweek win at Chelsea before beating United, and Xhaka explained what they need to do in a big few weeks.
"We started well but it was a 50-50 game in the second half," Xhaka told BT Sport. "United were pressing and did much better, but we got the three points. The missed penalty helped us.
"It’s not the first time we score and concede straight away, we did it twice against Chelsea. So, we have to be more clever and have a strong mentality for the five minutes after we score."
Next up for Arsenal is a trip to West Ham United on May 1, with the east London side playing the two legs of their Europa League semi-final either side of the clash. Arsenal won't consider any game a foregone conclusion, but their push for a top-four finish may ultimately be determined by the result of the North London Derby at Tottenham on May 12.
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While Arsenal thrived, there were a lot of issues in United's performance. Two visiting defenders were criticised for switching off as the hosts opened up their early lead, while Red Devils midfielder Scott McTominay laid bare the issues as his team looks set to miss out on Champions League football.
"There's a whole load of problems in terms of players, staff, anything within higher up, we need to just concentrate on what happens on the pitch," the Scotland international said. "For us, when we get back in the dressing room, it's go home, take a look at yourself in the mirror.
"You can't go back to your house and be satisfied with conceding three goals at Arsenal whenever we deserve to win. For us, self-belief, lack of confidence, you can see it all in the last two months.
"The last four games are about pride for us. Going out on the pitch and showing a bit of balls in your performances and not shying away from the ball or not doing everything right."
