Akin Ayomide
Jurrien Timber urged Arsenal “not to get too high” after they extended their lead at the top of the Premier League.
On a weekend where title rivals Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea all lost, the Gunners beat Crystal Palace 1-0 to move four points clear of shock second-placed team Bournemouth.
Arsenal’s seventh consecutive victory in all competitions put them six points in front of City and seven ahead of reigning English champions Liverpool.
The victory over capital rivals Palace also capped a fine week for Mikel Arteta’s men, who also posted a third successive Champions League win with a 4-0 rout of Atletico Madrid.
There are increasing hopes among the Gunners’ faithful that Arsenal may be on their way to ending their long wait for the Premier League title. The club were last crowned champions of England back in the 2003/04 season.
But Arsenal defender Timber said: “It is good to stay neutral, and not to get too high.
“Obviously, we’ve been doing well, but it’s still early in the season, and we just have to keep getting better game by game.”
The 24-year-old Netherlands international added: “The next game is already in three days, which is a (League) Cup match (against Brighton), and the next Premier League game (against Burnley) is going to be tough as well.
“So, let’s keep our feet on the ground and keep working hard, and then from there, we’ll see what happens.”
Arsenal’s impressive start to the season has been built on a miserly defense which has conceded just three goals in their opening 13 games across all competitions, with the clean sheet against Palace their fifth in succession.
“Everyone plays a part in it, but it’s a good thing and a good foundation to build on,” said Timber. “From that standard, you just have to keep getting better and be consistent in what we do, and then throughout the whole season, hopefully we’ll turn it into something beautiful.
“It gives you confidence and it shows that we’re doing really well, and also, if it’s for multiple games in a row, it says something about consistency.
“We just have to keep improving, and look at what we can do better, but also take that feeling with you, that confidence and go into the next game with the same mindset.”