Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger and striker Olivier Giroud were named the Premier League manager and player of the month on Friday in a double boost a day before they host Liverpool in a potentially decisive game.
Arsenal’s superb run of six straight league wins in the run-up to the international break has left them third in the table and still with an outside chance of challenging Chelsea for the title.
They won four straight league games in March, scoring nine goals and conceding two, with France striker Giroud netting five including a double against Newcastle United and further goals against Everton, Queens Park Rangers and West Ham United.
Victory over fifth-placed Liverpool this weekend would open up a nine-point gap over their rivals for a Champions League qualification spot, while maintaining hopes of overhauling a seven-point deficit to Jose Mourinho’s league leaders.
“It’s a big game and an opportunity for us to continue our run, which is what we want to do,” Wenger said. “You know after the international break it’s always important that you come back and straight away you are on it.”