Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker believes their victory against Aston Villa on Monday night has sent a message to their title rivals.
The Gunners had to defend an onslaught near the final-whistle after Christian Benteke made it 2-1 with just 15 minutes to go, but Mertesacker and co. managed to hold out for the three points which sent them above Chelsea and Manchester City to the top of the Premier League.
Before kick-off on Monday night, Arsenal knew that all the teams around them picked up three points and a win was a must for Arsene Wenger’s men, and thanks to goals from Jack Wilshere and Olivier Giroud, Wenger’s men got the win they needed.
“Nobody dropped any points so there was a bit of pressure,” Mertesacker said. “The team could feel that but we responded. I think everyone was expecting that we would drop points but we kept going.
“In the first half we did extremely well and put a lot of pressure on them. We took the lead by two goals and that was decisive.
“It was very important to respond and for the other teams to see that Arsenal is alive and that we can respond to anything. We just look at ourselves and think we are good enough to respond to any challenge they give us.
“It is really tight at the top. At the moment, there is no chance to drop any points. We have to show the other teams that when we feel the pressure we can respond. That is vital so I’m really happy with the fighting performance in the second half and how resilient we were.”
Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt – @AlexsArticles
