Arteta says Gunners are "obliged" to be in the Champions League

The Gunners boss was speaking after his side beat Leicester City 2-0 on Sunday to move themselves back into the top four of the Premier League, and thus the final qualifying spot for Europe’s premier competition.

Goals from Thomas Partey and Alexandre Lacazette - his first since Boxing Day - secured Arsenal’s fifth successive win, enabling them to leapfrog Manchester United in the table.

It was also their ninth win in 11 league games, and with three games in hand over the Old Trafford side, they are now in prime position to reach the Champions League.

The Gunners qualified for the Champions League for 19 seasons in a row from the 1998/99 campaign, but have not played in the competition for five seasons.

Arteta said, "We have to be there; we should be there. Our history obliges to be there but we are not there yet and there are still a lot of games to play.

"We have an excellent group of people at the club who believe in what we do. Then you have to put performance into results. The last few months, we have been more consistent."

Arsenal will face a real test in their next game as they host second-placed Liverpool on Wednesday.

They follow this up with a trip to Aston Villa in the early Saturday kick-off.