The Gunners suffered a blow in their title push with a 3-2 home defeat by Manchester United on Sunday (25.01.26) but the captain insists that the scars of finishing as runners-up in the past three seasons are giving the team extra incentive to go one better this time around.

Odegaard said: "Obviously it is a factor. But it can be a good factor as well. It gives you more fuel and more hunger and determination to get it done.

"We have experienced in all those seasons that it is a long run and a lot of things happen. Be together now. Look for the next game and bounce back."

There was a palpable sense of anxiety from Arsenal fans at the Emirates Stadium during the loss to United, but Odegaard insists that he didn't feel the tension emanating from the stands.

The Norwegian playmaker said: "I didn’t feel that. I was so focused on the game. The important thing is to stay in the moment. We can’t listen too much to the expectations and everything around it. We weren’t good enough [against United] and we have to learn from that."

Odegaard was frustrated by the manner in which the league leaders lost their way in the game after taking a first-half lead and has called for improvement if they are to maintain their four-point advantage at the summit.

He said: "It was a frustrating one. We opened the game pretty well, scored a goal and had some other good moments in and around the box. There were a few moments where we let them run too easily and probably play on their strengths too much. We know they are good on the counter and we let them do that a bit too easily at times.

"In the second half, the momentum changed a little bit. They won a lot of the duels, a lot of the 50-50 balls and managed to create the momentum from there. That is definitely something we can improve."