Mikel Arteta urged Arsenal to find consistency ahead of their Premier League trip to West Ham on Saturday.
The Gunners produced one of their best performances of the season in a 5-1 thrashing of Sporting CP on Tuesday in the Champions League.
Arteta knows the challenge will be to continue that form in England's top division, where they sit fourth – trailing leaders Liverpool by some nine points.
"That's what we need to do. We need to find consistency," the Arsenal manager said. "You want to be challenging for the big things? You have to be consistent.
"Win and win again. [Sporting] was a very different game but we reacted really well, let's move on now."
West Ham delivered their best result of this campaign, too, in their last outing after a 2-0 away victory over Newcastle United on Monday.
That victory lifted the Hammers up to 14th in the table and somewhat eased the mounting pressure on Julen Lopetegui, who will be suspended on Saturday due to an accumulation of bookings this season.
"The only thing in our control is to play football, attack and defend well, and combine play better," Lopetegui said of the Newcastle win.
"We continue with this mentality. I am happy for the players because they can see we can do well as a team. I am happy for them."
On his ban, he added: "I am not happy. But more importantly, the players will be on the pitch. A win is always important. It shows we can compete and trust in ourselves."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
West Ham – Tomas Soucek
No player has scored more Premier League goals for West Ham this season than Tomas Soucek (three), who formed a dominant midfield duo with Carlos Soler on Monday at Newcastle.
Indeed, 17 of his last 18 strikes for the Hammers have either put them one goal ahead (12) or drawn them level (5) in the match.
Arsenal – Bukayo Saka
Only Mohamed Salah (16) has been involved in more Premier League goals this season than Arsenal’s in-form Bukayo Saka (12 – four goals, eight assists).
In fact, Saka – who found the net against Sporting on Tuesday – has both scored and assisted in three different games this top-flight term, with only Salah again doing so more (four).
MATCH PREDICTION – ARSENAL WIN
Arsenal are the favourites heading into this London derby considering their recent head-to-head record against Saturday's hosts.
The Gunners have lost just one of their last 16 Premier League away games against West Ham (W10 D5), winning this exact fixture by a remarkable 6-0 scoreline last season.
West Ham have also lost more games in this competition overall (36) and at home (15) against Arsenal than they have versus any other opponent in the competition.
Their problems have not just come against Arsenal, too, given West Ham have lost their last two home London derbies in the top flight, going down 2-0 against Fulham and 3-0 against Chelsea.
That form in derby-day fixtures is in stark contrast to Arsenal, who have lost just two of their 26 Premier League matches against fellow London clubs since the start of the 2022-23 season (W18 D6).
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
West Ham win – 18.5%
Draw – 20.3%
Arsenal win – 61.2%
Kaheim Dixon focused on growth despite four-goal heroics against Wingate & Finchley
Jamaican international Kaheim Dixon delivered a sensational four-goal performance in just 25 minutes during Charlton Athletic U21s’ emphatic 9-2 victory over Wingate & Finchley in the London Senior Cup on Tuesday. However, despite his remarkable contribution, the young forward insists he still has room for improvement.
Speaking after the match, Dixon was candid about his performance.
“To be honest, it wasn’t my best performance,” he said. “I still have a lot of room to improve, and I will look to fix that in training.”
Dixon’s humility belies an extraordinary display that included a variety of goals, capped by a stunning bicycle kick for his brace. When asked to choose a favorite, the 20-year-old pointed to his third goal of the night.
“If I had to pick one out of them it would be the third! A through ball was played to me from the midfield, I’ve kicked it over the keeper and rolled it into an empty goal.”
The match, a dominant showing by Charlton U21s under manager Chris Lock, saw the young Addicks dismantle their senior opponents with clinical efficiency. Dixon praised the team’s effort and professionalism.
“I loved it out there tonight,” he said. “The boys gave it their all, it was a professional performance and that's all that matters.”
Dixon’s self-critical approach highlights his drive to improve, even as he continues to impress at both club and international levels. His performance on Tuesday not only secured Charlton’s progression to the fourth round but also underscored his potential as a rising star in Jamaican and English football.
Rodri targets injury return before the end of the season
Rodri has raised expectations for his injury return as he aims to be back on the pitch for Manchester City before the end of the season.
The Ballon d’Or winner suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury during City’s 2-2 draw with title rivals Arsenal, leading manager Pep Guardiola to state he would not play again this season.
City are undefeated with Rodri in the Premier League since the start of last season, but have only won half of the 14 matches he has not featured in during the same period, losing six (W7 D1).
The Spanish midfielder is understandably keen to get back quickly but still faces a substantial period of recovery before then.
"My target is to come back this season," Rodri told The Rest is Football podcast.
"I think in terms of my mentality, it’s going to be positive for me to not give up the season and throw it.
"I don’t know when ... my target is six, seven months, but the physios, they will dictate."
Alongside a run of six games without a win in all competitions, City have conceded two or more goals in six successive matches for the first time since May 1963 – during a season in which they were relegated from the top flight.
The reigning champions will look to dent an eight-point gap to league leaders Liverpool when they play them in the Premier League on Sunday.
Sahin: First away win in seven for Dortmund 'feels great'
Borussia Dortmund head coach Nuri Sahin was delighted with his side's 3-0 victory away to Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League on Wednesday.
The result was Dortmund's first away victory in seven matches in all competitions and left them fourth in the 36-team Champions League table, three points behind leaders Liverpool.
"To win away from home is something that feels great," Dortmund coach Nuri Sahin told a press conference.
"It is important for the table, for our morale. It was not an easy game but we let the ball roll and after the 1-0 we became even more dominant. Now we need to keep working."
Dortmund dominated the match against Dinamo, registering an xG of 1.75 compared to the hosts' 0.13, while they also had over 70% of the ball and 17 shots compared to five.
Sahin was pleased with the way his side managed to break down stubborn opposition, who sat deep during the game.
“We have played two really good matches now and we remained patient today against a very deep opponent. The players kept their positions, moved the ball well and deserved it," he said.
"Deep defence was not the big problem, rather it was related to the field. If we had been on good grass, we would have had more chances."
Dortmund have now won four of their last five matches in all competitions and will hope to take that form into their match against Bayern Munich on Saturday.
Sahin, though, did not want to shift focus too quickly from what was a pleasing night.
"I look forward to that game [against Bayern] but I want to enjoy the evening tonight with my boys and from Thursday the focus will be on Bayern," he said.
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