Latest: Nottingham Forest v Aston Villa Europa League news conferences

Alex Howell
BBC Sport Arsenal reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Arsenal are without a major trophy since the FA Cup triumph of 2020, which came in Mikel Arteta’s first season in charge.

And captain Martin Odegaard said the effort the players put in in Saturday’s 1-0 win over Newcastle was because every member of the team was doing what they could to finally get the Gunners over the line, after three consecutive second-placed finishes in the Premier League.

“It was tough, very intense, very physical,” he told Sky Sports. “We did everything we could and we got the win. The most important thing was to bounce back with a win and get over the line with the three points.”

For Odegaard, who played the full 90 minutes, and the rest of the squad, attention quickly switches to the Champions League semi-final against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday.

“This schedule is crazy,” Odegaard added. “We just have to keep going. It is the end of the season, just leave everything out that we have inside, fight every single game and we just have to keep going.

“That’s where we want to be but it is going to go all the way to the end. We are ready for it and we will fight every single day.”