Mikel Arteta has urged caution despite Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Crystal Palace and a weekend that saw Manchester City, Liverpool, and Chelsea all suffer defeats.
The result extended the Gunners’ lead at the top of the Premier League to four points after nine matches, but Arteta insists it’s still too early to talk about titles.
Eberechi Eze scored the decisive goal against his former club, finishing off a well-worked set-piece in the 39th minute. Arsenal had chances to extend their lead through Gabriel Magalhaes and Bukayo Saka, but Eze’s strike proved enough to secure the win.
However, the victory was tempered by injury concerns, with William Saliba, Declan Rice, Riccardo Calafiori, and Gabriel Martinelli all picking up knocks.
Saliba was replaced at halftime by Cristhian Mosquera, and Arteta admitted post-match that the extent of the injuries remains unclear.
Reflecting on the performance, Arteta praised his team’s resilience:
‘I just told the boys they’ll probably value this victory more than any other this season. We’ve been playing every three days, and this was a big opportunity with what happened elsewhere.’
He acknowledged the challenge posed by Palace, calling them ‘one of the best organised teams recently’ and noting how easily they can punish lapses in concentration.
‘We found a way to score in the first half and attacked better in the second. But at 1-0, we knew we had to suffer. Keeping a clean sheet again was very important.’
Asked about the defeats suffered by Arsenal’s title rivals, Arteta said it only highlights the difficulty of the Premier League.
‘It shows how hard this league is. The players aren’t allowed their phones, so I hope they didn’t know.’
Despite Arsenal’s strong start, Arteta remains grounded. ‘We are where we are, and it’s a credit to the team’s consistency. But it’s early. It doesn’t mean anything yet. We have to keep doing the things we’re doing well, and improve where we can.’
