Arsenal need to be consistent to be title contenders, says Coquelin

Arsenal need to be consistent to be considered as genuine title contenders, midfielder Francis Coquelin has said, after his side impressively dispatched Manchester United 3-0 on Sunday in the Premier League.

The Gunners went into the game on the back of a 3-2 loss to Greek side Olympiakos Piraeus in the Champions League but made amends by scoring three goals in the first 20 minutes against United, a feat never before achieved against the Manchester club in the Premier League era.

Despite Sunday's victory, Arsenal can't hide the fact that they had an inconsistent September, losing three out of six games they played and Coquelin was keen to gain some momentum through a run of victories.

"We said it from the beginning of the season that we could be contenders but we have to be consistent. I think the most difficult thing now is to carry on getting the results," Coquelin told the club's website (www.arsenal.com).

"In the last three games we haven't lost against Manchester United. Slowly we are getting stronger against the big teams.

"We beat Manchester City last season and now Manchester United so I think it is all about consistency. They made this game tough and the small teams are really strong as well and we need to get a result every week," the Frenchman added.

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