MIKEL Arteta knows only too well that Arsenal will have to “be at their best” this Sunday when they welcome a wounded Brighton & Hove Albion side to the Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners made it clear that they are not about to turn their backs on the Premier League title race last time out with a gritty 2-0 win against Newcastle United at St James’ Park.

In contrast, the high-flying Seagulls suffered a shock setback in their quest for European football as they were thumped 5-1 at home by Everton.

Arsenal fans will be hoping that the Toffees put in a similar performance this weekend when they host leaders Manchester City just hours before Arteta’s side play Brighton.

As it stands, the gap at the top is just one point, but City have a game in hand over the Gunners and a superior goal difference. Arteta, however, made it clear that the north Londoners want to be ready to pounce should City suffer any slip-ups.

“We are there, we want to keep digging,” said the Arsenal boss. “The prize is there, not too far, and the only thing we can do is keep insisting and not turn our backs and lose focus. We must be determined every single day, keep going and see what happens.

“Now we have to prove that we are able to do it against Brighton. It’s going to be a completely different game [from the Newcastle match]. It’s going to be really demanding, and we’re going to have to be at our best to beat them.”

Quizzed on if his team will keep on fighting for the title, Arteta added: “We’ve done it for 10 and a half months I think, we have to keep doing it. We have to make sure that the momentum is there.”

Meanwhile, Arsenal announced this week that they will play five Women’s Super League matches at the Emirates next season, an increase of two from the current campaign. Jonas Eidevall’s side welcomed Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester United to the 60,000-seater venue over the course of the 2023/24 campaign, while the Gunners also played all of their UEFA Women’s Champions League matches in N5.

In total, over 240,000 tickets were purchased to watch Arsenal Women play at the Emirates this season. Arsenal CEO, Vinai Venkatesham, said: “We’ve received fantastic support at the Emirates Stadium this year, setting a new record attendance in the WSL and achieving a memorable sell-out for our recent UEFA Women’s Champions League semi-final against Wolfsburg.

“This latest announcement ensures that as many supporters as possible.”