Odegaard urges Arsenal to keep going in ´the best part of the season´

Martin Odegaard has urged Arsenal to keep pushing in “the best part of the season” following their defeat to title rivals Manchester City.

The Gunners fell to a 2-1 defeat at Etihad Stadium on Sunday, meaning City could go top of the Premier League on goal difference if they beat Burnley on Wednesday.

Arsenal produced more xG than City (1.62 to 1.36), and Odegaard created a match-high four chances on his return from injury, but it was not enough to avoid defeat in Manchester.

Arsenal have lost back-to-back Premier League games for the first time since December 2023, ending a five-game unbeaten streak in the league against City in the process (W2 D3).

Mikel Arteta’s side have also lost four of their last six matches in all competitions (W1 D1), starting with the EFL Cup final against City last month; the Gunners lost just three of their first 49 matches of the season (W37 D9).

Despite their recent form, the Opta supercomputer still has Arsenal as favourites to win the league at 73.1% to City’s 26.9%, and Odegaard wants his team-mates to keep believing.

“Keep going, keep going. It’s always going to be going all the way to the end, so we have to keep going, keep working hard, and sticking together,” said the Arsenal captain.

4 – Arsenal have lost four consecutive games in domestic league/cup competitions for the very first time under Mikel Arteta, and first time overall since March 2018 – a run which also included two defeats to Manchester City. Stumbling. pic.twitter.com/mxT2hc0Kmi

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 19, 2026

“Just look forward to the next game now and bounce back, and keep going.

“We created a few big, big chances there as well, so of course there are some positives to take – frustrating at the moment, but we’ll analyse it and move onto the next, you know – bounce back.

“It’s all to play for – and it’s the best part of the season. It’s all to play for, so we’ll just look forward to the next game now, and go from there.”

Up next for the Gunners is a home match against Newcastle United, which precedes their Champions League semi-final first against Atletico Madrid.