(BBC) – Bukayo Saka says the hurt Arsenal felt when they were knocked out of the FA Cup will spur them on to fight for the Premier League title.

Arsenal lost to Liverpool, who are currently top of the table, in the third round of the FA Cup this month.

But the Gunners bounced back with a resounding 5-0 victory over Crystal Palace in the league on Saturday.

“This match was so important to build the momentum again,” England winger Saka told TNT Sports.

“Going out of the FA Cup really hurt me, so I’m sure we’ll use that to push in the Premier League and the Champions League next month. When you look at the league, you want to be first; not fourth, or sixth or third. You want to be first.”

Mikel Arteta’s side returned reinvigorated from their warm-weather training camp as a Gabriel header, Dean Henderson own goal, Leandro Trossard finish and two late Gabriel Martinelli strikes sealed the three points.

“Dubai was really nice for us to have that break,” Saka added. “We weren’t in the best form before that, and it helped us refresh and work on the things we needed to.

“We all knew we could score goals. We believe in ourselves, and you saw that because we scored five, and we’re happy with our performance.

“I needed the [rest] to be honest; the break came at the right time. We’re all hungry to push strongly until the end of the season.”

Arsenal were five points behind Liverpool before their victory over Palace, but they now sit level with second-placed Manchester City, who have a game in hand.
It was their first victory in five matches, having lost three successive games across all competitions.

Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown said it was a “critical day” for Arsenal.

“If they didn’t wake up, they would have fallen away from the title race,” he said on TNT Sports.

“These next three games, including this win, could change Arsenal’s season. I think they are very much back in the title race.”

The win at Emirates Stadium was the perfect comeback from Arteta’s side, whose only concern will have been the late substitutions of midfielder Declan Rice, and forward Gabriel Jesus with potential injuries.

“Declan Rice was feeling a sensation in his hamstring, so we didn’t want to take any risks at 3-0,” Arteta told TNT Sports.

“Gabriel [Jesus] had a tackle in the first half on his knee. I hope it’s not [too serious] but we will see.”

But, overall, it was a very pleasing afternoon for Arteta, who said giving players confidence was key if they want to achieve success this season.

“We will try our best and love our players and make sure they feel trusted, because if they feel like this, they can get to a level you would never imagine,” he said.