Arsenal headed into Wednesday's Champions League match with an opportunity to win Group B, and they did so in emphatic fashion with a 6-0 victory over RC Lens at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners got goals from six different players as they dominated their visitors, putting up five goals before the halftime break and easing through the final 45 minutes unscathed.
It was as big a win as they've ever had under Arteta — Arsenal also won 6-0 in the Carabao Cup in 2021 against West Brom — and it comes at a time when the London side are also involved in a hotly contested Premier League title race.
"Today was the day to get it done," Arteta told TNT Sports. "We did it in a beautiful way.
"We scored five goals against a really good side [in the first half].
"You can become really sloppy [with a big lead]. And there were parts of the second half with different behaviours but we stayed really focused."
The victory ensures that Arsenal will finish top of the group with a match to spare, and it puts them in the right mentality heading into the weekend where they'll look to stay atop the Premier League standings with a result at home against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.
"It's great because the schedule we have at the moment is crazy," Arteta said. "We're already thinking about Wolves in 72 hours.
"We have to demand more from each other. We'll have to be well prepared for Wolves."