15 March 2023 , 16:51
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Mikel Arteta has rubbished a popular theory over the significance of the clock in Arsenal's dressing room as they celebrated their victory over Fulham.
The Gunners maintained their five-point lead over Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table with a convincing 3-0 victory at Craven Cottage on Sunday. Gabriel opened the scoring and Gabriel Martinelli quickly doubled the visitors' lead before Martin Odegaard wrapped up the game on the stroke of half-time.
Success in west London made it five wins on the trot for Arsenal as hope grows that they can topple City to win their first league title since the 2003/04 season. After the match, the jubilant squad celebrated in the away dressing room and, conspicuously, they posed with a timepiece similar to the iconic one which hung at Highbury and now adorns the structure at Emirates Stadium.
Eagle-eyed fans spotted the time on the clock in the dressing room, with the big hand pointing at 11 and the little hand at 2. Speculation began to spread that the Arsenal squad had set this time deliberately because there are "11 games 2 go", while other fans thought the time approaching 14:00 could be a hint at the Gunners closing in on a 14th league title.
However, Arteta has insisted bringing the clock to the dressing room was simply a nod at the club's illustrious history. The Spaniard explained that he had spoken to his players about the clock ahead of the fixture with Fulham to reiterate Arsenal's identity to them.
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"It was something I related to a few days before on where we were as a team and club and what we have to stand for," Arteta told ESPN. "It was something private in the dressing room just before the game and something that's in the history of our club.
"We have to be really conscious of that and when we have that history and we use it in the right way, that's a really powerful thing to have.
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Arsenal players posed with a replica of the club's iconic clock in the Fulham away dressing room (zinchenko_96/Instagram)"The reality is that every game is so important, the margins are so small and we are now going to have to do something incredible until the end of the season to earn the right to be there."
Arsenal will resume their Premier League title push as they host Crystal Palace on Sunday, but first they take on Sporting Lisbon in the second leg of their Europa League last-16 tie on Thursday, with the aggregate score 2-2. City, meanwhile, are not in top-flight action this weekend as they are taking on Burnley in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Saturday.