Myles Lewis-Skelly insisted Arsenal know “the job is not done” as he promised to treat their last two Premier League matches as finals in a bid to deliver the club’s first title since 2004.
Arsenal took a significant step to claiming the league crown with a deeply controversial 1-0 win against West Ham at the London Stadium after the hosts had a stoppage-time equaliser ruled out by VAR.
The contentious verdict keeps the title race in Arsenal’s hands, with a home match against already-relegated Burnley and a final-day fixture at Conference League finalists Crystal Palace to come.
A win in both matches would allow Arsenal to see off Manchester City’s challenge, and provide the perfect platform for their Champions League final against Paris St Germain on May 30.
And teenager Lewis-Skelly, who has fought his way back into Mikel Arteta’s line-up having spent virtually all of the season on the edges, said: “We have to stay humble.
“(The dressing room is) just joy, excitement, fulfilment – everything you can describe. We are buzzing, but we know that the job is not done. We have got two more finals left now, and we have to take each game as it comes. The next one is Burnley – and then we go on from there.
“As players, as a fan myself, it’s easy to think about what could be. But, it is important that we stay in the moment. We have to stay on it.”
Following a breakthrough campaign last season, the 19-year-old Lewis-Skelly has largely been deemed surplus to requirements at left-back, with Riccardo Calafiori and summer loan signing Piero Hincapie preferred ahead of him.
However, Lewis-Skelly was handed an opportunity in midfield for Arsenal’s league game against Fulham earlier this month, and the Englishman has started every game since.
Reflecting on his period out of the team, Lewis-Skelly said: “It was tough initially. But, for me, I pride myself on having mental strength. Sport is not one pathway, because there are ups and downs. And it’s how you bounce back from that, and how you are in those moments when you face adversity. That is what defines you.
“I spoke with my family and friends. I just told them, ‘I don’t want to hear all the noise that is coming from social media. Let me stay in this moment, let me continue to face this adversity and let me come out the other side of it’.
“He (Arteta) told me, ‘You are going to play in midfield, so go for it’. So, that is what I did. And I had to be bold and play with courage, because that is what this league demands.”
Lewis-Skelly’s absence from the team raised questions about his long-term future, and there had been suggestions he could even be sold this summer – despite agreeing a new contract which takes him through to 2030 only last year.
Asked if he is fully committed to Arsenal, the Hale End Academy graduate replied: “I am focused on the games that we have got coming up – and bringing this club back to glory.”
