Mikel Arteta said Arsenal’s nine-point gap at the top of the table was “meaningless” after the Gunners beat newly promoted Sunderland 3-0 at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.

Martin Zubimendi scored and scored twice in the second half Victor Jickers saw arsenal Temporarily widening the gap between them and second-ranked Manchester City. City Citizens face a big test today when they face Arne Slott’s Liverpool at Anfield.

After the game, Arteta insisted their current lead had no bearing on what might happen in May, insisting there were “a lot of games” left to play.

When asked what the nine-point gap at the top meant, Arteta replied:

“Nothing, we still need to win so many games to achieve where we want to be. So, there’s no focus on that; that’s something else. We’ve done our job now; we’ve done what we have to do, so I assess that, try to improve it and get ready for Brentford.”

After the 2-3 defeat Manchester UnitedArsenal have won their last two league games. Their next game is against Brentford on Thursday 12 February.

Arteta praises Arsenal stars after win over Sunderland

Arteta had a glowing review of Guikres and praised the striker’s character after coming off the bench to score two goals in the win over Sunderland.

After scoring once in 11 Premier League games, Guikres has now scored three goals in his last two league games. The Swede’s form has improved after a period in which he was criticized for his lack of goals.

When asked about Guikres’ resilience and mental strength, the Arsenal boss said:

“Well, it’s the type of role we look forward to and obviously when you put on that jersey it comes with a lot of responsibility and a lot of expectations and you need to live with that. In your journey here you’re going to have moments where things are going well and there’s going to be some tough moments too. Because, with that, Like, you have an opponent who plays a role and he makes it very difficult for you. But I like his character, the way he handles it every day, and the fact that he is so focused on the present and what he has, he has a real desire to help the team no matter what role he plays.”

No Premier League player has scored more goals in all competitions than Guikres (5) since the start of the year.