‘It’s going to be like this’ - Arteta embraces "ugly" win as Arsenal grind out victory in title race

Arsenal ran away with a 1-0 victory over Newcastle, despite having a nervy performance on Saturday evening.

While the three points were secured, the manner of the win did little to soothe the anxiety building at the Emirates. 

It was a performance that lacked the conviction of a team poised to become Premier League champions, relying more on grit than grace.

The tension that threatens to derail Arsenal's title push in the final stretch was palpable, and Arteta made no attempt to disguise the narrow victory as anything more than "job done."

When asked if he could endure four more matches like this, the Gunners boss was defiant. "Yes! We’ll take 50!" he retorted. 

"We are where we are. I don’t expect it to be a path of roses and beautiful music after 23 years. It’s going to be like this, and we are ready for it."

Arteta acknowledged his team's shortcomings, particularly in the final third, but praised their defensive resolve.

"It is so hard to win this league," he explained. "The message at half-time was clear, we needed to score a second. 

“We tried but when you are not that efficient in certain areas, you have to have other things to win a game.

"We certainly had discipline, courage and great habits defensively, but with the ball, there are habits we have to do much better."

The Gunners return to the summit of the table and are three points clear of Manchester City, who have a game in hand.