Martin Odegaard says Arsenal 'have to win every game' to sustain Premier League title challenge

Martin Odegaard admits Arsenal might have to win each of their 16 remaining Premier League fixtures in order to lift their first title in two decades.

The Gunners moved back into second place in the table, above Manchester City, by edging to a 2-1 victory over Nottingham Forest.

They now sit two points behind leaders Liverpool, whom they play at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

Jurgen Klopp's side have played one game fewer than Mikel Arteta's outfit, while Pep Guardiola's defending champions have two fixtures in hand.

And Odegaard believes that means Arsenal have work to do if they are going to finish top of the pile come May.

"All the games we play are big games," he says. "We have to win every game basically.

"This league is so competitive, but we love it. We can't wait for the next one [game]. It's another big one coming up. We just have to keep going, keep working hard and we'll see."

Arsenal were dominant at the City Ground, but it took them until the 65th minute to open the scoring through Gabriel Jesus.

Bukayo Saka added a second shortly afterwards, as the visitors looked set to stroll to victory.

However, a late strike from Taiwo Awoniyi, in his first appearance since November due to injury, ensured a grandstand finish.

The Gunners eventually held on for a crucial three points though, with Odegaard admitting they should have made life much easier for themselves.

"That was the main thing, the three points," he continued. "I'm also happy with the way we played throughout the whole game. Of course, it's a bit annoying that they scored in the end.

"From how the game was, I think it should have been a bit more than 2-1, but we know it's a competitive team, we know they fight until the end and they can create things. We have to learn a little bit, but I think the performance was good."

Defeat for Forest means the gap between themselves and the relegation zone shrinks to just two points.

It was a second successive league loss for Nuno Espirito Santo's side, who have now gone five matches across all competitions without defeat.

They still made life tough for their visitors though, allowing Arsenal to control possession as they lined up with a back four and two defensive midfielders.

And Odegaard was pleased his side managed to find a way through, adding: "We're quite used to it now; we play a lot of teams who defend deep.

"They had a lot of players behind the ball, in front of the goal and in the box.

"We knew we would create something. It was just about staying patient, keep going, keep finding the small spaces and put the ball in the right moment. We knew we had a goal coming. We just had to keep going, keep trying and in the end it was a success."

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