Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta was delighted after victory at Aston Villa.
Bukayo Saka struck the only goal of the game.
Arteta said: "It's a very big win for us. I thought we played fantastically well, but we didn't put the game to bed when we had the chances. Then you suffer, but we showed the resilience to win.
"Villa are a very good team and to come here is always extremely difficult. We managed to do the things we wanted to do in the match and I think we deserved to win the game.
"The connection between the players and the fans is exceptional and that gives you a lot of energy and belief. There's still 10 games to go and you can see how small the margins are. The key is that we are there [in the top four] and that we believe we can do it."
Bernd Leno kept a clean sheet after replacing the injured Aaron Ramsdale and Arteta said: "It's been tough for Bernd [Leno], not playing the minutes he's been used to in his career, but Aaron [Ramsdale] was there to support him. Emile [Smith Rowe] has had some issues in the last few weeks and came in for 90 minutes because he's managed to look after himself well."
On Bukayo Saka's contribution, he added:"[Our attackers] have to make the difference when they play for a big club, that's their duty. And we have to do it more."
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