Football
Mattias Karen, Arsenal correspondent 6y

Arsenal proving Premier League title credentials in winning run - Alex Iwobi

Alex Iwobi thinks Arsenal are proving their title credentials after taking their winning run to nine games with a 5-1 victory over Fulham at Craven Cottage.

The win was Arsenal's sixth in a row in the Premier League after opening losses to Manchester City and Chelsea.

They already have three away wins in the league under Unai Emery after having won only four under Arsene Wenger last season and have scored at least two goals in each of their last 10 matches in all competitions.

While most people do not expect Arsenal to challenge Manchester City and Liverpool for the title, Iwobi insisted the team's chances should not be dismissed.

"The team spirit is better," Iwobi, who helped create Alexandre Lacazette's opening goal, told reporters after the game. "The confidence is definitely better. We analyse the games a bit more and we're proving to the fans as well as ourselves that we're able to compete for the title.

"But there's a long way to go. It's a marathon, so we just have to carry on being consistent. .... We're not afraid to play anyone. We're playing without fear, we want to be consistent and keep it going."

Emery was more cautious when it came to the team's chances this season and said people need to stay calm despite the impressive run.

"When we lost the first two matches against Manchester City and Chelsea, we were calm, and when we are winning now, I think we need to be in the same way in our mentality," Emery said. "We are going up in the table little by little giving us a better position for our objective.

"But I am just thinking about the next match against Leicester at the Emirates, in our home, with our supporters. I want to give them and to show them we are improving with our quality, with our mentality and above all with commitment we had here today."

Meanwhile, Lucas Torreira said that Emery's insistence that players prioritise the team ahead of the individual is starting to pay off.

"The most important thing here is not that Torreira is the best player on the pitch, or that any other is the best, but what matters is that we win and keep growing as a team," Torreira said.

"The key now is to continue working and keep growing as a team, taking all the competitions as seriously as we did with the Europa League. Now we have the international break, and then some important games will come, so it's important for us to continue in this way."

ESPN writer Eduardo Fernandez-Abascal contributed to this report.

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