Mikel Arteta believes Liverpool remain one of the top two teams in England as he prepares Arsenal for a crunch clash on Saturday.

The drastic dip in results from Jurgen Klopp's team since the turn of the year has seen last season's champions fall out of the top four in the Premier League.

They and Arsenal still have time to jump up the table, with Liverpool sitting seventh and Arsenal ninth heading into the weekend.

Liverpool's five most recent Premier League wins have all come away from Anfield, and another at Emirates Stadium this weekend would be a huge lift for Klopp and his players.

Arteta senses Liverpool are performing better in many respects than their results indicate, and suggested they are only outranked by one team - who would inevitably be Manchester City - in a range of key data performance metrics.

"I'm not the one to analyse what's gone wrong for them. I can talk about what they've done and what they are still producing," Arteta said in a news conference.

"I've seen a lot of games and the stats will support that. They are, if not the best, the second team in almost every department that we as coaches have to analyse.

"But then this is football and the ball has to be in the net - the final action has to provide a moment to win a football match.

"Then you have some individuals that dictate as well the quality of your team. Sometimes you cannot predict those things, so I think it's a lot of things."

Discounting penalties and own goals, Liverpool have netted 39 times in the league this season, yet their expected goals (xG) total is 44.3.

City's xG is slightly higher at 49.2, but Arteta's former club have far outperformed that mark with 58 non-penalty goals.

The trip to face Arsenal in north London has rarely been a successful mission for Liverpool in recent times. The Merseyside giants have won just two of their past 20 Premier League away games against Arsenal (D9 L9), a 2-0 success in August 2011 and a 4-3 victory in August 2016.

Arteta would relish another win to add to Arsenal's haul, knowing it would nudge them to just a point behind Liverpool, but he said his team would be "punished for every error".

Although the first leg of a Europa League quarter-final against Slavia Prague is coming up next week, manager Arteta says all the focus from his players should be on this weekend.

"For me, the priority is Liverpool," Arteta said. "We know if we want to climb up the table and have the chance to be in Europe next season through the Premier League, we need some consistency now in the last nine games.

"We need to get a run of winning matches, and the only way to do it is to start against Liverpool. We don't have any margin and we have to win the game."

Arteta said young midfielder Emile Smith Rowe had been troubled by "some discomfort in his hip" while away with the England Under-21 squad.

"We will speak with the doctors and the physios and see if he's available for training tomorrow," Arteta said.

Similar applies to Bukayo Saka, who pulled out of the senior England squad due to a hamstring problem but could come into contention for the weekend.

Liverpool versus Arsenal has thrown up some scintillating games in the past, and no fixture in Premier League history has seen more goals scored than the 166 they have shared in those battles.

Liverpool have scored 94 times in the Premier League rivalry, the most goals the Gunners have shipped against a single opponent in the competition.

Mikel Arteta declared himself "really disappointed" despite Arsenal fighting back from three goals down to claim 3-3 draw with West Ham United on Sunday.

The Gunners paid for a poor start at the London Stadium as they fell behind to early goals from Jesse Lingard, Jarrod Bowen and Tomas Soucek.

However, they reduced the deficit when Soucek was forced to put through his own net before the break, and it was game on when Craig Dawson did the same following the restart.

Alexandre Lacazette subsequently completed the turnaround with a header 10 minutes from time to earn the visitors a share of the spoils.

But, speaking after the game, manager Arteta could not hide his disappointment over a sloppy start that had given his side a mountain to climb.

He told Sky Sports: "I'm really disappointed because I cannot accept my team to play the way we did for certain periods in the first half because what I expect is the team to play the level we showed afterwards. 

"We played incredibly well, we should have scored six or seven goals, but we had two faces and the first face is about giving goals to the opponent and not doing what we have to do and that is not good enough.

"The first goal, it can happen. It's a really good combination, they do that, they play that channel well and have players in the box and scored a brilliant goal, it's fine. 

"The way we concede the second one is unacceptable, the third goal is unacceptable, and we still gave them one more – a throw-in and they hit the post.

"For the rest, [I liked] the attitude, the desire that we showed and the togetherness that we showed, because at 3-0 it's really difficult to do what we've done. 

"I have no doubts because we talked about it and I can see every day the energy and the cohesion the players have. We came really close to winning, I thought we deserved to win in the end, but the first part really worries me."

Arteta's opposite number David Moyes struck a more positive note, despite the fact his team threw away a sizeable lead.

"It was a really good game, a tough game, lots of goals. We played very well, especially in the opening 30 minutes, we were excellent," Moyes said.

"Unfortunately, we gave them a goal just before half-time from a deflection which I think the shot was going wide and it gave Arsenal a bit of a foot up. That made it more difficult. 

"We played very well for long periods; Arsenal played very well, but Arsenal are in good form at the minute and showing good things. 

"It wasn't a great result for us after going 3-0 up but it was still a good result. We've still kept ourselves moving along, it was a tough game for us and we showed that we're up there competing with the best teams."

The Hammers find themselves in the midst of a perhaps unexpected push for Champions League football this season, but missed a chance to go level on points with fourth-placed Chelsea.

Still, Moyes remained sanguine about his team's position given the manner in which they have exceeded all expectations thus far.

He added: "It's been a long time since we've finished above Arsenal in the league at West Ham, so we've done our best to make sure they can't catch us. 

"We're trying to stay in the top half of the league, I think at the start of the season if we'd said that we'd have said it's [going] good. But now we want more, now I'm greedy. 

"You should see the dressing room, they're devastated because they haven't taken all three points. It's a good sign for a manager, though."

Mikel Arteta has warned West Ham will know "how to hurt" his Arsenal team when the London rivals clash in the Premier League on Sunday. 

The fifth-placed Hammers sit seven points ahead of Arteta's toiling mid-table Arsenal with 10 games of the season remaining for both teams, as David Moyes continues to work wonders. 

Arsenal's best hope of qualifying for next season appears to be through the Europa League, which offers a place in the elite competition to the winners, and Slavia Prague await them in the quarter-finals. 

West Ham, however, can get there on merit through the domestic league, and three points at the London Stadium this weekend would bolster their top-four chances. 

Arteta and Moyes were appointed by their respective clubs in December 2019, and few would have foreseen West Ham being a step ahead of the Gunners 15 months down the line. 

Looking ahead to their tussle, Arteta said: "We know we will have a really tough game, they've been in great form. They've been really consistent, they know really well what to do and how to hurt opponents. I know David really well and I am sure he will prepare the match so it is a really difficult game for us." 

Arteta was asked whether West Ham's form has come as a surprise, to which he replied: "Not really. I think they have a really strong squad and they have a great manager and coaching staff. 

"They started the season with some doubts, but I know what David is capable of doing. 

"He gets the group together, they're working really hard for each other, they've recruited really well and you can start to see the things that David has done. Obviously they have a little bit more time during the week to prepare football matches and training, and I think they've been in great form and they're a really dangerous team." 

Arsenal muddled their way past Olympiacos in the Europa League last-16 on Thursday, with a 1-0 home defeat meaning the Gunners scraped through 3-2 on aggregate. As Arteta pointed out, West Ham have no European commitments this season, but it could be a different story next term.

Why are Arsenal still trailing in West Ham's wake?

West Ham were already ahead of Arsenal at the turn of the year and it will worry Arteta that the gap has grown since, yet in many aspects the teams have performed on a similar level in the Premier League.

Since January 1, the Hammers have a goals for-and-against of 19-11 in the competition, while Arsenal's shows as 21-10, and the 13.38 per cent shot conversion rate for West Ham is more or less identical to Arsenal's own (13.04).

West Ham have created 20 'big chances', to 16 by Arsenal, and both sides have 50 per cent conversion rates when it comes to those opportunities, which are defined by Opta as being "where a player should reasonably be expected to score".

Arsenal are on a par with their xG (expected goals rate) of 18.2 from 158 shots in 2021, scoring 18 non-penalty goals, while West Ham have taken 18 fewer shots and are similarly closely tracking their xG of 17.5, also scoring 18 times excluding spot-kicks.

Perhaps telling when it comes to judging the difference between the teams is the toll that errors are taking on Arsenal.

In 12 Premier League games this year, West Ham players have collectively made three errors leading to shots, none of which resulted in a goal, but Arsenal have made seven such errors and have conceded three goals as a direct consequence.

The Gunners' 2021 haul of 21 points from 12 games (W6 D3 L3) is bettered by West Ham, who have 25 points (W8 D1 L3) over the same period.

Indeed, only Manchester City (45 points from 16 games), Manchester United (27 points/14 games) and Leicester City (27 points/13 games) have taken more points than West Ham since the turn of the year.

Mikel Arteta saw Arsenal scrape through to the Europa League quarter-finals and warned the demise of Tottenham shows there are no formalities in knockout football.

Arsenal took charge of their last-16 tie with Olympiacos in Greece last week by opening up a 3-1 advantage, but a 1-0 defeat at Emirates Stadium on Thursday made for a rockier than expected route through to the final eight.

Gunners manager Arteta said Arsenal were "nowhere near" the required level and did not hide behind the fact his team avoided the same fate as their north London rivals, with Tottenham given a shock 3-0 hiding by Dinamo Zagreb to perish 3-2 on aggregate.

Speaking about Tottenham's miserable fate in the competition, Arteta – whose side lost three consecutive home matches in European competition for the first time in their history – said: "It shows as well the level of opposition, that people take for granted that you play against an opponent and you will go through, because of the name of the club that they represent.

"It is not like that, every team in Europe is difficult to beat."

Arteta only found solace in the fact Arsenal – who reached the quarter-finals of the competition for the fourth time in their last five campaigns – avoided Europa League elimination.

"If I have to evaluate the performance with what we've done today, with the ball in particular, then it's nowhere near the standards we have set for ourselves," Arteta said.

"We made it really difficult because we didn't have any stability when you give the amount of balls away that we have in the game.

"When that happens, you don't have the control to manage the tie in the way that we should have done and that's related to the amount of chances we missed again."

Tricky opposition will await Arsenal in the quarter-finals, with this competition particularly important given that winning it represents their only realistic path into next season's Champions League.

Premier League rivals Manchester United, Roma, Villarreal and Ajax are among the sides to have made the last eight.

Arsenal's dressing room was a quiet place after the game, goalkeeper Bernd Leno said.

Leno told Arsenal Media: "Everybody knows that it was not a good performance from us. We cannot change it anymore but the positive thing is that it was a warning. We need to be 100 per cent every game. If we play like today then we won't reach anything this season.

"This is probably the closest way to go to the Champions League and also to win a big European trophy so we need to step up."

Arteta, meanwhile, said Arsenal would not rush to pull Bukayo Saka out of the England squad for the World Cup qualifying games at the end of the month.

The young winger missed Thursday's fixture with a muscle injury but may have a chance of facing West Ham on Sunday, and if he misses out then Arsenal will consult with the England camp.

Martin Odegaard has everything to become the "complete player" according to Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, who thinks the Norway international can add more goals to his game. 

Odegaard has impressed since joining the Gunners on loan from Real Madrid in January and followed his first goal for the club against Olympiacos last week with the equaliser in Sunday's 2-1 north London derby win over Tottenham. 

Ahead of the return clash with Olympiacos, where Arsenal hold a 3-1 advantage, Arteta warmly praised the 22-year-old playmaker. 

"He's getting better and better. I think his understanding of what we want is excellent," he told the media. 

"His work rate has been phenomenal. And then he's doing something which, in my opinion, he could improve a lot, which is getting in the opponents' box and being more decisive in the score line. 

"He's doing that. He's scored two goals, he's got some really important entrances in the zone and he looks really dangerous all the time. 

"It's something that if he adds that to his game, he becomes a real complete player." 

Odegaard's two goals in all competitions are more than any other Arsenal midfielder has managed since his debut, with only Bukayo Saka (19) having more than his 11 shots. 

He is also the best among his midfield colleagues over the same period in terms of chances created (13), while behind only Mohamed Elneny in terms of passing accuracy (92.9 versus 90.8 per cent), having played 468 more minutes than the Egypt international. 

"I think everybody has been really impressed with how quickly he adapted. How professional he is," Arteta said. 

"How quickly he adapted to try to engage with everybody at Colney [Arsenal's training ground] and then the performances he is putting in as well." 

Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang is back in contention to start after a disciplinary breach led to him being benched for the win against Spurs. 

Asked whether Aubameyang had been stripped of the Arsenal captaincy, Arteta replied: "That was dealt with on the day. It's been resolved in a really positive way and we move on." 

Fellow forward Gabriel Martinelli could get a chance for valuable first-time minutes against Olympiacos, having struggled for fitness and form this season. 

"If anything, it's my fault," Arteta said over the Brazilian youngster's lack of game time. "He's done everything perfect. He trains incredibly well every day. His attitude cannot be any better. 

"He's really disappointed that he's not playing more, obviously I have spoken to him. But he needs to be a little bit patient. 

"He had some minutes, he had some games as well and it’s true that the competition now for the front positions is very tough. He needs to be patient and he will get his chance." 

Saka, meanwhile, faces a late fitness test having made way at half-time in the game with Spurs due to a hamstring complaint.

Matteo Guendouzi insists his Arsenal career is not over and he wants to fight his way back into Mikel Arteta's plans next season.

Guendouzi, 21, has been on loan with Hertha Berlin since last October where he has made 19 appearances for the Bundesliga club.

The French midfielder was a regular starter with the Gunners under previous boss Unai Emery but failed to make an appearance for Arteta's side in the opening weeks of the season prior to securing a temporary move away.

When asked if his Arsenal career was over due to an apparently strained relationship with Arteta, Guendouzi was emphatic in his response.

"No, not at all," he told France Football.

"I am focused on my season at Hertha Berlin. Then, we will make a point with my agent and the people of the club to sit down and discuss the future. I am still an Arsenal player."

Guendouzi joined Arsenal from Lorient in 2018 and has made 57 Premier League appearances for the Gunners, registering just one assist and no goals in the competition.

In those games he attempted a total of 75 tackles, the third-most among Arsenal players across 2018-19 and 2019-20, while his 263 duel wins over the same period was only bettered by four of his team-mates.

His contract with Arsenal expires at the end of next season and he acknowledged his long-term future will be at stake when he returns to the Gunners.

"This summer will be a decisive moment," he added.

"Could I come back to the club with Mikel Arteta on the bench as coach? Yes, of course. I will be with Arsenal for another year.

"I am here to move forward. When I played for Arsenal, I have always given everything for this club, for these fans, for the team, for the staff. I will work hard for the jersey as usual."

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said the Gunners are still eyeing a top-four finish in pursuit of Champions League football following their Premier League win over rivals Tottenham in the north London derby.

Alexandre Lacazette's second-half penalty helped Arsenal beat Tottenham 2-1 on Sunday as Arteta celebrated his first Premier League win over Spurs since taking charge.

Erik Lamela's stunning rabona goal put Tottenham ahead just past the half-hour mark before Martin Odegaard equalised on the stroke of half-time.

Tottenham midfielder Lamela went from hero to villain – sent off in the 76th minute after Lacazette completed the turnaround 12 minutes earlier.

Arsenal are 10th in the Premier League standings – 10 points adrift of the top four with 10 rounds remaining – but Arteta is not giving up on Champions League qualification.

"Up until mathematically it's impossible we're going to believe and we're going to give it a go that is for sure," Arteta, who replaced Unai Emery in December 2019, said in his post-match news conference.

"We know that we're going to have to be extremely consistent, to have any chance in the last two or three matches to be close to that.

"But we're going to give it a go and we're going to keep trying, going game-by-game."

Arsenal have not featured in the Champions League since 2016-17 – the Gunners consigned to the Europa League for the past four seasons.

The Gunners are unbeaten in their last 10 Premier League home games against Spurs (W6 D4), while Arteta is the third consecutive Arsenal boss to win his first home league meeting with Tottenham following Arsene Wenger and Emery.

Since losing his first London derby at Emirates Stadium in the Premier League (2-1 against Chelsea in December 2019), Arteta is unbeaten in his last five such games, picking up four victories (D1).

All eyes were on the Emirates Stadium on Sunday for the north London derby and there was a lot of comforting familiarity on display.

A red card, Erik Lamela attempting a rabona (and scoring it!) instead of using his right foot, and, of course, Spurs throwing away a lead.

Elsewhere, Manchester United remained on course to finish second as they ensured David Moyes' continues to dread returning to his former employers, while Sheffield United's first game since Chris Wilder's exit arguably proved just how good the Yorkshireman was as manager.

There was also a potentially vital win near the bottom of the table for Brighton and Hove Albion, and we have taken a look at all the best Opta facts from those games.

Arsenal 2-1 Tottenham: Spurs surrender once again in a north London derby

Lamela's opening goal will be shown in north London derby highlight reels for years – his rabona finish was so good, so audacious.

But even with that being the opening goal, it never really looked like being decisive, so underwhelming were Spurs otherwise from an attacking perspective – the fact they went on to lose meant they have now dropped 45 points from winning positions against Arsenal in the Premier League, the most of any team against a specific opponent in the competition.

After Martin Odegaard levelled, becoming just the fourth Gunners player to score in his first top-flight north London derby, Alexandre Lacazette's second-half penalty secured Arsenal the points.

It was Spurs' ninth league defeat of the season, the joint-most Jose Mourinho has ever suffered in a single season, and Lamela's sending off certainly did not help their situation.

In collecting two bookings, he became only the fifth substitute in Premier League history to score and be sent off in the same game.

His goal will be the enduring moment from the match, but in the grand scheme it was meaningless for a Spurs side in increasing danger of missing out on the top four.

Manchester United 1-0 West Ham: Moyes' Old Trafford misery continues

It was not an occasion for the neutral at Old Trafford as Man United scraped an unconvincing win thanks to an own goal by Craig Dawson.

The defeat means only Harry Redknapp (15) has managed more Premier League games away to United without winning than former Red Devils boss Moyes (14 – four draws, 10 losses).

The Hammers' difficulties in front of goal were partly to blame as none of their seven attempts were on target, the highest number of shots they have had in a league game without a single accurate once since August 2013 (nine shots).

On the flipside, Man United kept a fourth straight Premier League clean sheet for the first time under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, with the club last achieving that feat in January 2018 under Mourinho.

They have also lost just one of their previous 23 league outings having suffered three losses in their opening six games this term.

Leicester City 5-0 Sheffield United: Blades suffer bruising defeat as they venture into the Wilder-less wilderness

Less than 24 hours on from confirmation of Wilder's "mutual" departure as Blades manager, many were likely left wondering why the club did not fight harder to keep him.

While seemingly doomed for relegation anyway, Wilder retained significant respect for the job he presided over at Bramall Lane, and Sunday's result showed why.

With interim boss Paul Heckingbottom taking over for the first time, he has already shipped five goals in a single game as many times as Wilder did in 227 matches (a 5-4 defeat to Fulham in 2017). Their former manager was never beaten by more than a three-goal margin.

Heckingbottom also became only the third manager in Premier League history to lose by five or more goals in his first game, but this should not take credit away from Brendan Rodgers' ferocious Foxes.

Kelechi Iheanacho scored his first hat-trick and also netted in three successive top-flight games for the first time. Jamie Vardy set up two of those goals and in doing so became only the sixth player to register 100 or more goal involvements in the Premier League after turning 30.

Those to achieve this before him were Teddy Sheringham, Frank Lampard, Ian Wright, Alan Shearer and Gianfranco Zola – esteemed company indeed.

Southampton 1-2 Brighton and Hove Albion: Seagulls remember their shooting boots as Saints sink

Much has been said and written about Brighton's woes in front of goal this term, but they got the job done here.

Their 2-1 win at St Mary's is only the second time in 2021 that they have scored twice or more in a single Premier League game – the other instance was their 3-3 draw with Wolves in their first match of the year.

This was their 11th outing since.

The win took Graham Potter's men three points clear of the relegation zone and just four behind Saints, who are in a difficult spot.

It is 10 defeats in the past 12 Premier League games now for Southampton, with Ralph Hasenhuttl coming under increasing pressure – their previous 10 losses came across a 38-match spell.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta insisted there were no hard feelings on his part towards Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang after the Gunners battled to north London derby glory without their captain.

Martin Odegaard's first Premier League goal for Arsenal and a second-half penalty from Alexandre Lacazette gave Arteta's men a 2-1 win over Tottenham, who turned in a meek display either side of a phenomenal rabona opener from Erik Lamela, who was later sent off.

Lacazette only started because Aubameyang fell foul of Arsenal's pre-match protocols, with the Gabon forward an unused substitute at Emirates Stadium.

Nevertheless, Arteta said the problem – reported to be a time-keeping issue – is already something to be forgotten about.

"He is an incredible guy and one of the most important players in the team," he told Sky Sports.

"He is our captain and these things happen. We have lots going on in our lives and people finding it hard with the restrictions.

"I will never tell anything that happens in the dressing room."

Arsenal failed to convince during the closing stages as Harry Kane had a header disallowed for offside and fired a free-kick against the post.

"Going 1-0 down the way we were playing was disappointing and worst-case scenario against a team like Spurs. But we kept playing and deserve the win," Arteta said,

"The last 10 minutes we did not manage the game and we need to improve as a team. We relied on luck. With the way we played we should have seen it out comfortably."

Arteta, who is the third consecutive Arsenal boss to win his first home league meeting with Spurs, following Arsene Wenger and Unai Emery, added: "We had some really strong performances today.

"You could see the energy they were playing with."It is about how you react. This team have the reaction in them to not give up. We kept playing and generating chances and got rewarded."

Alexandre Lacazette's second-half penalty proved decisive as Arsenal beat Tottenham 2-1 to dent the top-four hopes of Spurs, who saw goalscorer Erik Lamela sent off.

Arsenal's preparations for the game were by no means ideal as Mikel Arteta revealed pre-match that captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had been dropped for disciplinary reasons, reportedly relating to tardiness, but the Gunners were the better side from start to finish and deserved the points.

It looked like being a grating day for them after seeing Emile Smith Rowe and Cedric Soares denied by the woodwork either side of Lamela's quite remarkable breakthrough goal.

But Martin Odegaard restored parity on the stroke of half-time and Lacazette completed the turnaround from the spot in the second period to move Arsenal back to within four points of their seventh-placed rivals, with Lamela's dismissal 14 minutes from time hampering Tottenham in their late rally.

Spurs struggled to get out of their own half during the early exchanges and were fortunate to remain on level terms when Smith Rowe's dipping 25-yard strike hit the crossbar, while they lost Son Heung-min to injury soon after.

But Tottenham finally showed some attacking intent just past the half-hour mark and it led to their remarkable opener, Lucas Moura teeing up Lamela – Son's replacement – to produce a 'rabona' finish that went through Thomas Partey's legs and found the bottom-right corner.

Arsenal's frustration amped up as Cedric was the next Gunner to be denied by the frame of the goal, but a deserved equaliser did arrive just before the break when Odegaard turned in Kieran Tierney's cross with the aid of a deflection.

The hosts continued to control proceedings but had been struggling to break Spurs down before winning their penalty just after the hour – Davinson Sanchez clumsily fouling Lacazette after the Frenchman had unsuccessfully swiped at the bouncing ball.

Lacazette coolly converted the resulting spot-kick and Spurs' hopes suffered a major blow when Lamela caught Tierney in the face with a stray arm to earn him a second yellow card.

Late scares saw a Harry Kane header ruled out for offside and the same man hit the base of the post from a free-kick, but Arsenal held on to end their five-match winless run in the derby.

Tottenham have one of the most "special" attacking forces in European football, according to Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta.

Spurs travel to face their north London derby rivals in the Premier League's headline fixture on Sunday, with Jose Mourinho's team having a seven-point cushion on the Gunners.

Both teams were in Europa League action on Thursday, Spurs beating Dinamo Zagreb 2-0 while Arsenal overcame Olympiacos 3-1 in Greece.

However, while Arsenal's domestic form remains inconsistent, Mourinho's men are back in the hunt for, at the very least, Europa League qualification after a run of three straight league wins.

While Spurs' defensive approach took them to the top of the table in November before a capitulation in the middle of the campaign, Mourinho seems to have struck a balance once more, which is getting the best out of the attacking talent at his disposal.

Harry Kane has been in sensational form, scoring 16 goals and providing 13 assists in this Premier League campaign to date, while Gareth Bale has also come to the fore in recent weeks, having a hand in six goals in his last four appearances in the competition (four goals, two assists).

The Welshman has also netted five Premier League goals against Arsenal in his career, more than he has scored against any other side in the competition.

Son Heung-min and Kane, meanwhile, have continued their brilliant relationship. In the 4-0 win over Crystal Palace last week, Son teed up Kane's second goal.

It means the duo have set a new single-season Premier League record after combining for a 14th goal in 2020-21, while that win also took Tottenham to 100 goals for the season in all competitions – a mark only previously reached by Bayern Munich across Europe's 'top five' leagues.

Son and Kane combined to cast aside Arsenal 2-0 in the reverse fixture in December, with the latter now the leading goalscorer in north London derby history, with 11 goals.

"[It's going to be] very difficult because the level of quality, precision, understanding and chemistry they have between them makes them probably one of the most special teams in Europe," Arteta told Arsenal's official website.

"They don't need much. They are able to create their own chances, they are able to link as a team. So it's really difficult to do that, but we'll prepare the game well to try to stop them, obviously."

With Spurs looking deadly in front of goal, Arteta stressed the importance of cutting out defensive mistakes which, in the last two matches, have resulted in goals.

Granit Xhaka's blunder against Burnley enabled Chris Wood to snatch a point for the Clarets, with Dani Ceballos taking his tally of errors leading directly to goals in the Europa League to two (no player has made more in that competition this season) when he was dispossessed by Youssef El-Arabi on Thursday.

"The amount of chances we are conceding has been really low, but the amount of chances we have given to opponents has had a big impact in the goals that we have conceded," said Arteta.

"It depends on us a bit which is a really positive thing. But we know that it's something we need to eradicate to be more consistent with results."

Mikel Arteta demanded Arsenal cut out their defensive mistakes, despite being thrilled with the overall performance of his team against Olympiacos in the Europa League.

Arsenal took a big stride towards the Europa League quarter-finals as they ran out 3-1 winners in the first leg of their last-16 tie in Athens, thanks to late goals from Gabriel and Mohamed Elneny on Thursday.

Martin Odegaard's stunner – his first goal for Arsenal after joining from Real Madrid on loan – put the Gunners ahead, but a mix up between Bernd Leno and Dani Ceballos, who has now made two errors leading to goals in the Europa League this season (no player has made more), allowed Olympiacos to equalise.

Ceballos' mistake follows on from Granit Xhaka's error against Burnley in the Premier League on Saturday, though manager Arteta insisted there is no issue with Arsenal's system, but rather the timing of their passes out from the back.

"We started the game really well, very dominant, created a lot of chances, we could have scored two or three at least in the first half, but we gave them two chances," he told BT Sport.

"We gave them the goal, trying to play out from the back, but we reacted really well.

"Overall, positive things, really positive performances but we have to stop making the errors that are costing goals, because we cannot sustain that at this level.

"It's not concentration, it's about when you play the ball. It's not about structure, decision making, it's about when you play the ball, it makes a whole difference."

Arteta, though, claimed his team cannot play with any fear.

"It's not about stopping the way we play, because this is us and we get our rewards by identifying when we do it and how we have to do it," he added.

"The worst that we can do is get the structure to play, but then have too much fear to play. That's a bad mistake to do that."

Arsenal were worthy winners – the Gunners had 18 shots, compared to six from Greek hosts Olympiacos, and eight of them were on target, while Arteta's side also enjoyed 61.5 per cent possession.

The Gunners have won eight of their nine Europa League games this season – drawing the other – and are the highest scorers in the competition so far this term (27 goals), but Arteta explained the next step is to put in a complete performance.

"We were really dominant. We showed our personality to come here and dominate the game," he said.

"The next step is to do that for 90 minutes and give absolutely nothing to the opponent – we are not there yet. 

"We have some of the best moments that we've played this season, understanding the spaces, the quality, the rhythm, the way we attacked the spaces. How we linked with each other, it was great. We need to keep doing it and do it for longer periods."

Odegaard was particularly impressive in the number 10 role, crafting a game-high four chances and had four attempts – more than any other player.

"It's a great result, three goals away from home and a win in this competition is always big," the Madrid loanee told BT Sport.

"The way we struck back after the goal we conceded, and the mentality of this team – I'm really pleased with everything.

"It showed the spirit in the team, the way we back each other. We knew we had to get a goal. That's what it's about – being a team. When one player makes a mistake, you have to strike back as a team and that's what we did today."

Mikel Arteta insists Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang still has much more to give to Arsenal despite a recent improvement in his performances.

The Gunners captain has only scored nine times in the Premier League this season, a marked reduction from the 44 he managed across the previous two campaigns.

Aubameyang scored just twice in 14 appearances in all competitions from mid-September to the middle of December, but his form in front of goal has improved of late, the Gabon international having netted eight times in his most recent nine outings.

Manager Arteta is happy with Aubameyang's improvement but believes there is more to come from the player.

"Obviously, the stats are much better and related to who he is and what he needs to bring to the team," Arteta told reporters ahead of Thursday's Europa League last-16 first leg against Olympiacos.

"But still, I think he could score many more and he could do better in other aspects. He needs to keep having that mentality and he has that mentality.

"We need players performing at their maximum. When Auba is in a much better place, obviously the team will be in a much better place because at the end, things are decided in both boxes, and what he can produce in the opponents' box has an incredible impact for our team.

"In big moments, you need to have big players performing and making the difference. It looks like, at this moment, he's firing, he's happy, physically he's in a good moment and he's full of confidence."

With Arsenal 10th in the Premier League table and with their FA Cup defence having been ended by Southampton, the Europa League represents their best chance of a trophy and a way back into the Champions League for next season.

Having announced a £47million loss last week amid the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, European football could be critical to Arteta's chances of putting together a squad capable of challenging England's best again.

Despite the potentially tricky year to come, Arteta is confident a major turning point is coming in Arsenal's modern history.

"I want a sustainable club. We all want a club that can be run with their own resources. It is great we have the support from our owners," he said.

"We have had that in the summer when it was much needed because of everything that has happened with COVID and what happened at the club in the last three years without the Champions League and the hit that that took.

"But our responsibility and everything we are planning for the future is for this club to go back to being sustainable on its own and being all the time as strong as possible in every department and the financial department is crucial as well.

"I think this project is going to go 'bang'. This is where we are, but sometimes it is difficult to see the moment now but I'm sure where we are going.

"We have created a really strong group, a really strong bond with our players, with our fans, with our staff and that is going to pay big in the future.

"You need to win to convince anybody that you are doing a good job in the club and taking them in the right direction.

"If you are not inside the club every day and know exactly what is going on within the club, the only way to convince anybody is to win."

Mikel Arteta has heaped praise on Martin Odegaard for how he has started at Arsenal, calling the midfielder's effort "phenomenal".

Odegaard joined Arsenal on loan from Real Madrid towards the end of the January transfer window.

He is yet to register a goal or an assist in eight outings for the Gunners, prompting former players like Martin Keown and Nigel Winterburn to criticise his start.

But Arteta has been highly impressed by the 22-year-old and is thrilled with how well he has settled, amid speculation over whether Arsenal will opt to pursue a permanent move.

"I'm really happy with him," said Arteta. "I think he has settled really, really quickly into the team and with what we demand from the players. 

"His behaviour, his attitude and his work rate has been phenomenal. 

"He has had better moments than others during games to give us the special qualities he has, but overall, I'm really happy with him."

One of the players Odegaard is battling with for selection is emerging attacking midfielder Emile Smith Rowe.

Smith Rowe has been out of action with a hip injury for the last 10 days but might be back in time to face Olympiacos in the Europa League last-16 first leg on Thursday.

"He is going to have a full session [on Wednesday] to see if he can be involved for [Thursday's] game," said Arteta.

"After training, we will know exactly where we are with him."

The tie will see Arsenal come up against former player Sokratis Papastathopoulos, who joined Olympiacos on a two-year deal in January.

Arteta added ahead of the away first leg: "I am looking forward to seeing Papa, he is such a good character and a very popular player here. 

"He was liked and loved by everybody. It was a pleasure to work with him, such a pro. 

"It is true he knows what we try to do, but there isn’t a magic formula. I’m sure he will try to do his best and we will do the same."

Arsenal and Olympiacos have previously met on 10 occasions across all European competitions, with no encounter ending level and both teams winning five times each.

Greek champions Olympiacos dumped Arsenal out of the Europa League last season at the last-32 stage.

The Gunners are hoping to avoid back-to-back eliminations suffered at the hands of the same side, which last happened to them in 2012-13 and 2013-14 against Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

Granit Xhaka has received the backing of team-mates past and present after his calamitous error against Burnley.

The Swiss midfielder was at fault for the Clarets' leveller in Saturday's 1-1 draw at Turf Moor, directing an attempted pass into the midriff of Chris Wood, with the ball diverting into the net.

Since the start of the 2016-17 season, Xhaka has made eight errors leading to goals in the top flight, which is more than any other outfield Premier League player.

He looked set to head into Thursday's Europa League clash at Olympiacos with criticism ringing in his ears, having felt compelled to issue an apology on Instagram.

But the 28-year-old has since been showered with praise by Thomas Partey and ex-Gunner Sokratis Papastathopoulos, who is now with Olympiacos.

"I think he's a great player," said Partey. "We all know he works hard for the club, he works hard for his team-mates when he's on the pitch.

"As we all know in football, you never know when you're going to have a bad day and that's part of it.

"We have to keep raising each other, keep fighting for each other and that's how we're going to have a good game and win matches.

"All the players know what we have to do when we play together. It doesn't matter who we play with, we have to do our best and win games."

Striking a similar tone to Partey, Sokratis – who joined Arsenal in 2018 and left in January this year – offered a glowing tribute to his former team-mate.

"Granit is one of the best team-mates I've had the pleasure of working with," Sokratis told Football London.

"He's a very important player for Arsenal and I believe that he's a good player who can be a leader in the team.

"When you make one mistake everybody will go against you, but I know Granit's character. Before the Burnley game he played five or six games where he was probably the best player in the team.

"I think he's one of Arsenal's best players and certainly one of the best midfielders that I've played with."

In between Arsenal's two-legged round-of-16 clash with Olympiacos, Mikel Arteta's side have the small matter of Sunday's north London derby with Tottenham.