05 February 2024 , 12:00
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Martin Odegaard insists Arsenal did not over-celebrate their win against Liverpool - and claimed the Gunners would stay “humble” after blowing the title race wide open.
Sky Sports pundits Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher were scathing of Arsenal's post-match euphoria, with skipper Odegaard lingering on the pitch for several minutes taking pictures with club photographer Stuart MacFarlane to capture the moment.
Neville branded the love-in “immature” while former Liverpool defender Carragher hissed: “You’ve won a game, you’ve got three points - get down the tunnel.” Arsenal have fallen into the trap of premature partying before.
A self-congratulatory group selfie after a 2-1 win against Leicester in 2016, which appeared to have tilted the title race in the Gunners’ favour, backfired and the Foxes used it as motivation to complete their 5,000-1 miracle.
But Odegaard, whose impressive performance underpinned a 3-1 win which narrowed the gap on Premier League leaders Liverpool to two points, hit back: “No, I think everyone who loves football and understands football, they know how much it means to win this game.
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“And if you’re not allowed to celebrate when you win, when are you allowed to celebrate? We’re happy and we’ll stay humble. After being at the top for so long last season, we always prefer to be at the top, of course.
“But we’re still in a good position, we showed today the quality we have in the team, in a big game, a lot to play for. It would have been a tough one for us to lose today - that would have left us eight points behind, but we really showed up and it was a great performance overall.”
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Odegaard had stolen a camera off photographer Stuart McFarland to take a picture of him in front of the Arsenal fans (Sky Sports)Odegaard believes Arsenal have learned from the heartbreak of being front-runners for 248 days but finishing the season empty-handed last term. He said: “That’s what we have to show this season. We have to show that we learned something.
“The year before we missed the Champions League and we came back stronger, and last year was a tough ending for us and we have to do the same this year – come back and show that we’ve learned. There's still a long way to go. We have to stay humble and keep working hard. Still we have some areas to improve.”
By common consent, Arsenal’s half-time reset against Liverpool could prove a defining moment in their season. After dominating for 45 minutes, they gifted Liverpool a comedy own-goal equaliser before fighting to re-establish their supremacy.
Odegaard said: “We controlled the game and should have scored a few more goals but we moved on and came back strong. We have no doubts (about winning the title). We always believe in ourselves.”
Midfield anchor Jorginho had his best game in an Arsenal shirt at the Emirates on Sunday and hopes it will be the catalyst for him to collect the biggest missing piece from his collection of major honours.
The Italian linchpin won the Champions League with Chelsea and the deferred Euro 2020 tournament with Italy in 2021 - now he wants the title.
He said: “It would mean a lot. That one is missing to tick [off] the list. We need to enjoy the moment and push really hard every single game. At the end, we will see, but we are on the right path.”
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Jorginho’s alliance with £105 million record signing Declan Rice has given Arsenal backbone in midfield, and he added: “He’s a great player, as you can see out there!
“He just pushes himself to the limit to help the team and he has been a massive help. It’s definitely better to have him on your team than playing against him. A player like this you always want on your team.”