LONDON -- Mikel Arteta said Bukayo Saka has returned to his best form at a crucial moment, adding that momentum is with Arsenal as they target glory at home and abroad.
The Gunners moved six points clear at the top of the Premier League with a commanding 3-0 win over Fulham on Saturday as a brace from Viktor Gyökeres either side of Saka's 40th-minute strike piled the pressure on title rivals Manchester City.
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Arsenal, who have played two games more than City, are aiming to end a 22-year wait for a league title as they bid for a first Champions League crown in their history.
The pressure has seemingly told in recent weeks as results have suffered but Saka inspired what Arteta described as one of the best opening 45 minutes of the season with a goal and an assist on his first start since March's Carabao Cup final defeat to City.
Bukayo Saka starred in Arsenal's vital win over Fulham. Vince Mignott/MB Media/Getty Images "Today he felt loose, he felt relaxed, and I think we had the Bukayo that we know back," Arteta said of Saka, who has been managing an Achilles issue and was taken off at halftime as a result.
"He certainly made a difference. He made two actions that decided the game, and we know what he's capable of. He's come back in the most important period of the season, and now he's fresh, his mind is fresh, his hunger is at the highest possible height and I think he needed a performance like that to impact the team."
Arsenal face Atlético Madrid on Tuesday in their Champions League semifinal second leg -- after a 1-1 draw in their first meeting -- and Arteta insisted they head into that game with renewed conviction after their three-goal, first-half blitz.
"That's what we want now, use that momentum, energy, belief towards Tuesday," said Arteta. "We're going to certainly need that. When I look at the atmosphere in the dressing room, I think [the momentum] is tracking it in the right direction.
"It was a critical game because we know the importance of the win and the manner that we've done it and the goal difference in the Premier League and because this game was going to carry a lot of energy towards the next game.
"It's certainly going to do that and now we have one of the biggest games in the history of this stadium, for sure, on Tuesday in front of our people and we're going to try to make it happen."