The Gunners swept aside Bournemouth as Saka's penalty opened the scoring before late second-half finishes from Leandro Trossard and Declan Rice sealed another much-needed victory.
With two games to spare, Arsenal have equalled their Premier League win tally from last season (26), only in 1930-31 (28) and 1970-71 (29) have the Gunners won more games in a single top-flight campaign.
That is in large part thanks to Saka, who became the first player to score 20 goals for Arsenal in a season (all competitions) since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in 2019-20 (29 goals).
He is also the first Englishman to do so for the club since Theo Walcott in 2012-13 (21 goals) and Arteta was quick to praise star winger Saka.
"The level of consistency compared to last year is very similar," the Arsenal manager said at his post-match press conference.
"There are areas he's better in. I see a different edge to him in the way he competes. He loves winning more than three months ago."
Kai Haverz won Saka's first-half penalty, though Bournemouth may feel the Arsenal forward triggered contact with goalkeeper Mark Travers.
The Cherries also had a goal disallowed at 2-0 down when Dominic Solanke was adjudged to have fouled David Raya before Antoine Semenyo turned into an empty net.
A lengthy VAR check followed both decisions but Arteta refused to comment on either incident, suggesting he had not seen them back yet.
"The honest answer is I haven't seen any of the incidents because I knew you were going to ask me," he added.
"They said do you want to see it and I said no so I can give you an honest answer!"
All 10 of Arsenal’s outfield starters attempted at least one shot in this game, the first time this has happened in a Premier League game for the Gunners since January 2022 against Burnley.
Gabriel Magalhaes almost got in the act but his strike was ruled out late on for offside, before Rice managed to add gloss to a dominant performance.
Rice was playing for West Ham last season as Arsenal capitulated in the title race against Man City, though the England international is hoping for a different outcome this time around.
"I wasn't here last year but I can sense that we are embracing it," the Arsenal midfielder told TNT Sports as Man City prepare to host Wolves later on Saturday.
"Man City are a machine and they don't lose many. Anything can happen in football. Surprises can happen and miracles can happen and we just have to stay focused."
Arsenal will continue to go about their business in hope of Man City slipping up, the Gunners have won 14 of their 16 Premier League games in 2024 (D1 L1), scoring 51 goals and conceding just eight in reply.
Indeed, the Gunners have won the most points in the competition since the turn of the year (43), but Arteta's side remain reliant on favours from elsewhere in the title race.
Daly’s Lionesses team-mate Lauren James and Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka have been named as the PFA young players of the year in the awards voted for by their peers.
Daly and James were key performers for England in their run to the World Cup final earlier this month, but the accolades they received at the PFA’s 50th anniversary awards event in Salford are based on their performances last season.
Saka was voted the men’s Young Player of the Year after a terrific season for club and country, while a star of the club’s past, Ian Wright, picked up the men’s PFA Merit award.
Jill Scott, who won 161 caps for England and retired after the Lionesses won the Euros last summer, received the women’s Merit award.
Daly’s victory in the senior women’s player category came after she hit 22 goals in the Women’s Super League for Aston Villa last season – a remarkable achievement for a player who featured at left-back in the Lionesses’ successful Euros campaign last summer.
The 31-year-old from Harrogate saw off competition from five other illustrious WSL names on the nominees list – Sam Kerr, Frida Maanum, Guro Reiten, Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw and Ona Batlle.
James, who featured in the World Cup final as a substitute after a red card in the last 16 against Nigeria meant she was suspended for the quarter-final and semi-final, was a key player for Chelsea as they won the domestic double.
Haaland enjoyed a stunning debut season for Manchester City, hitting 52 goals in all competitions as they won the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League treble last season.
The 23-year-old was voted as the Premier League’s top player, seeing off competition from his team-mates John Stones and Kevin De Bruyne, as well as from Arsenal duo Saka and Martin Odegaard and former Tottenham striker Harry Kane, now at Bayern Munich.
Saka secured the young player prize after enjoying his finest season to date, scoring 14 goals for the Gunners and contributing 11 assists.
He was also one of England’s star performers at the World Cup in Qatar last winter.
Wright’s career in football was recognised with the Merit award. The 59-year-old, who starred as a striker for Arsenal, Crystal Palace and England, is now a popular broadcaster for the BBC and ITV.
Wright has become a vocal ally for the women’s game and also campaigns against discrimination within the sport. He became an OBE for services to football and charity in the King’s Birthday Honours in June.
Scott received the women’s merit award in recognition of a stellar career at club and international level. The 36-year-old played for Sunderland, Everton and Manchester City between 2004 and 2022. As well as her England caps, she also featured for Team GB at London 2012 and again in Tokyo in the summer of 2021.
To mark the awards reaching a half-century, the PFA also handed out individual player prizes for the Championship, League One and League Two for the first time.
Chuba Akpom was voted as the second tier’s top player, after top scoring with 28 goals for Middlesbrough. His fine form at Boro earned him a summer move to Dutch side Ajax.
Conor Chaplin, whose 26 goals spearheaded Ipswich’s promotion push from League One, won that division’s award, while Bradford’s Andy Cook was League Two’s Players’ Player of the Year.
Already without a number of injured regulars for March’s Wembley double-header, the Euro 2020 runners-up saw Bukayo Saka withdraw through injury on Thursday.
England vice-captain Jordan Henderson and Cole Palmer remain with the camp but they too are sidelined for Saturday’s sold-out friendly against the Selecao, along with Kane.
The skipper sustained an ankle injury sustained playing for Bayern Munich last weekend and also faces the possibility of missing Tuesday’s game against Belgium – the final match before Southgate names his Euro 2024 squad.
“Tomorrow no Harry Kane, no Jordan Henderson, no Cole Palmer,” England boss Southgate said.
“I would say Cole and Hendo have a better chance of Belgium than Harry. He’d be extremely doubtful for that.”
Gareth Southgate’s men step up their preparations for this summer’s shot at Euro 2024 glory with Wembley friendlies against the Selecao and Belgium.
England skipper Kane and vice-captain Henderson’s availability to face Brazil on Saturday evening is in doubt after the pair trained away from the main group at St George’s Park on Friday morning.
The pair again worked inside on individualised training programmes, with Kane dealing with an ankle injury suffered in Bayern Munich’s 5-2 Bundesliga win over Darmstadt last Sunday.
Southgate worked with a 23-man England squad ahead of travelling down to London following Bukayo Saka’s withdrawal from the squad.
The Arsenal forward reported to St George’s Park with an injury and returned to his club on Thursday having been unable to participate in training.
England were staring at a quarter-final exit from Euro 2024 until Saka scored a wonderful equaliser to cancel out Breel Embolo's opener 10 minutes from time.
The Arsenal winger – whose saved penalty cost England in the Euro 2020 final against Italy – then stepped up to convert in the shoot-out as the Three Lions scored with all five of their attempts.
Jordan Pickford saved from Manuel Akanji as England won just the fourth penalty shoot-out in their history, teeing up a semi-final clash with the Netherlands for Wednesday.
Lineker was part of the England team beaten on spot-kicks by West Germany at the 1990 World Cup, when Pearce was one of two players to fail to score, seeing his effort saved by Bodo Illgner.
Pearce then memorably scored in the Three Lions' next shoot-out, a victory over Spain on home soil at Euro 1996, and Saka's moment of redemption brought those memories flooding back for Lineker.
Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast on Sunday, Lineker said of Saka's kick: "I did actually get a little bit emotional. It reminded me so much of the Stuart Pearce moment.
"Pearce missed in 1990 when I played. I know Stuart, you know Stuart. He's such a diamond of a bloke and a wonderful football player.
"Then we played against Spain, penalty shoot-out, in 96 in the Euros, and he stepped forward again.
"I was in the crowd thinking, 'please, please score, don't miss', and everyone in the crowd was thinking the same thing, there was a silence that was palpable.
"When he knocked that in, I cried. I was sitting there in the crowd, crying tears of joy. I don't cry when I'm sad, I cry when I'm happy, and it reminded me of that.
"Saka took the penalty that basically lost us the Euros, and then to come back, a young lad having scored a brilliant goal to drag us level almost immediately… he's amazing!"
Saka's goal made him just the third Arsenal player to score for England at the Euros, after Tony Adams in 1988 and Theo Walcott in 2012, and the first to do so in a knockout game.
He is also the first Arsenal player to net for the Three Lions at both the World Cup and the Euros, having scored three times in Qatar two years ago.
