Arsenal enforcer Francis Coquelin: Thumping Man United proves we are title contenders

The Gunners blew the Red Devils away with a blistering start which saw them 3-0 up at the Emirates Stadium inside 20 minutes, their opening two goals coming within 74 seconds of each other.

It was the perfect response following questions over the direction of Arsene Wenger's side in the wake of a home Champions League defeat by Olympiakos.

The players held a private meeting before the match against United, who had gone into the encounter looking to reinstate themselves at the top of the table but ended the weekend down in third place.

CONTENDERS: Francis Coquelin thinks yesterday's win sent a message to their title rivals

BATTLE: Francis Coquelin and Juan Mata fight for possession

Coquelin reckons the collective efforts shown in sweeping aside Louis van Gaal's team displayed the needed character to mount a sustained assault on the championship.

He said: "We knew we had to put it right after Olympiacos and that is what we have done. A lot of people didn't expect us to win, but we proved a lot of people wrong."

"Inside the dressing room we knew we could do good things this season, that we knew we could be contenders. But obviously we have to be consistent."

ENFORCER: Francis Coquelin celebrates after Arsenal thumped Manchester United

"The most important thing is to carry on now and keep getting the results."

"We are getting stronger against the big teams. We beat [Manchester] City last season, now United. It's all about consistency."

"The league is getting tougher because even the smaller teams are beating the bigger teams, so we need to be getting results every week."