Mikel Arteta has reminded his players they can't afford to give their opponents an opportunity after Arsenal's 2-1 win against Aston Villa on Wednesday night.
The Gunners secured the points at the Emirates thanks to goals from Brazil internationals Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli. Douglas Luiz equalised for the visitors, but they couldn't stop Arsenal - who remain two points clear at the top of the Premier League.
Arsenal fans were fearing the worst after Luiz's second-half leveller, but they bounced back immediately to ensure the three points stayed in London. Although Arteta was delighted to get another win under his belt, he wants his players to be more ruthless.
"I'm really happy with the result," Arteta told BT Sport. "It's so tough to win in this league. The first half was probably one of the best we have played. We could have scored three, four, five. We didn't kill the game and then in this league, the game is alive.
"In the second half, obviously, the game was a fight. They really stretch you, they play really directly, there are a lot of second balls, actions, fouls and it became a little bit of a transitional game where you don't finish the actions when you have spaces to attack and they're going to come at you.
"Without really allowing anything to them - one corner - we conceded a goal and then it's game on again. But the team reacted again incredibly well and I think we deserved to win the game."
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Some critics have suggested it's too early to judge Arsenal's credentials this season as they are yet to face a so-called "Big Six" club. Their Premier League wins have come against Crystal Palace, Leicester, Bournemouth, Fulham and now Villa.
Arsenal's mettle will certainly be tested over the next six weeks, with fixtures against Manchester United, Everton, Brentford, Tottenham and Liverpool scheduled. Their Europa League campaign also gets underway in September, facing FC Zurich next Thursday.
Martinelli added: "We are delighted with the performance and the result as well. That is the spirit we need to keep for the whole season. We need to keep patient and we deserved the win and got the three points."
Villa, meanwhile, find themselves 19th in the table after winning just one of the first five Premier League games. "If you don’t perform you get criticism and you can either go into your shell and worry or you can puff your chest out and try to do something about it," said Villa skipper John McGinn at full-time. "It is not going to turn overnight."
McGinn was also keen to stick up for his manager Steven Gerrard, who is facing criticism after Villa's poor start. "It has nothing to do with the manager," claimed the Scot.
"Players are put out to do jobs and if we don’t perform those jobs it is our responsibility. Arsenal were in a similar position last season and stuck with it and got it right."
