Oleksandr Zinchenko sends defiant message to Arsenal's title rivals after ending hoodoo

Oleksandr Zinchenko has claimed Arsenal going undefeated against their title rivals in the Premier League this season has proved Mikel Arteta ’s side are “ready to fight” and “compete with the best teams in the world”.

The Gunners have beaten Liverpool and Manchester City at home in the Premier League and drawn away at Anfield and the Etihad Stadium. Wednesday night’s win over Luton took Arsenal back to the top of the table before Liverpool host Sheffield United on Thursday. Next week they face Harry Kane's Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals.

Asked if their record against their title rivals gave them confidence for the run-in, the former Manchester City star said: “Yes, I won’t lie to you, 100% because it shows that we are ready to fight for it and we are ready to compete with the best teams in the world.

"The result against City was definitely psychologically important. It’s not easy to play against City away and also Liverpool away and the other teams as well - I don't want to be disrespectful to the others. It shows that Arsenal are ready to fight for it.”

Arsenal led by eight points at the start of April last season before a run of four games without a win saw City roar past them. This Easter they ended a long losing streak at the Etihad Stadium with a goalless draw and recorded a ninth win out of 10 against Luton. Mikel Arteta has claimed his side have learned and grown from the experiences of last season - and by reaching the last eight of the Champions League for the first time since 2010.

“I’m definitely not the guy who’s going to judge that,” said the Ukrainian. “But I can say that when I came here I saw already a lot of qualities here and a lot of different players with such a big talent. This year