Arsenal picked up another crucial three points on Wednesday evening as they beat Manchester United 2-0 at Emirates Stadium. The victory was the Gunners' fourth consecutive in all competitions, and it also arrived on the same night Premier League title rivals Liverpool dropped points.
Arne Slot's conceded a last-minute equaliser to Newcastle, with the gap at the top subsequently reduced down to seven points. Chelsea, meanwhile, moved into second after beating Southampton 5-1, with their goal difference now superior to Arsenal's.
Following a run of just one win in five before the November international break, Arteta was very pleased to see his team performing at this level again. "Very happy. Special night celebrating 500 games at this stadium against an opponent with so much history between the clubs and the teams," he told reporters.
"The way we played, especially after tweaking a few things in the second half, how dominant we were, how convincing we were, not really conceding apart from the save from David [Raya] after a very sloppy throw in." Both of Arsenal's goals came from corners, which showed off one of the advantages they may have in the title race.
With it a landmark occasion for the club at Emirates Stadium earlier this week, Arsenal have endured some challenging times on home soil over the last few years, but those appear to be firmly in the rear-view mirror. Since the start of last season, the Gunners have lost just two league games on their own patch.
Aston Villa and West Ham were the two teams that did the damage in the last 12 months, with both of those results certainly arriving as a shock. Going further back, Manchester City and Brighton were the clubs to leave Emirates Stadium with the points during the 2022/23 Premier League campaign.
That means in the last 20 months, Arsenal have lost just four matches while playing in front of their supporters. Making your home ground a fortress is so crucial to maintaining a title challenge, but it is not something that is very easy to do, with Arsene Wenger struggling to do exactly that during his later years at the club.
Unfortunately, Liverpool have Anfield, and coming away from there with anything other than a defeat is a significant challenge. With that being said, Nottingham Forest proved it is possible when they beat the Reds 1-0 just a few months ago.
While Arsenal have dropped points at home, they have not tasted a league defeat since losing 2-0 to Villa back in April. Having visited the likes of Stamford Bridge, Etihad Stadium and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and not lost, Arsenal are in an excellent position for the title, as long as they continue winning games at home.