Arsenal star Alexis Sanchez: Gunners 'able to beat anyone' after defeating Manchester United

Arsenal summer signing Alexis Sanchez says the Gunners have proved during recent victories over Manchester City and Manchester United that with the right attitude, they can beat any team in the world.

After defeating Louis van Gaal's United side on 9 March to go through to the FA Cup semi-final, the Gunners host West Ham United on 14 March in search of consolidating their place in the Premier League top four before their crucial Champions League second-leg last 16 tie with Monaco three days later.

"It was a very physically demanding game, a box-to-box one. I got back home both happy and exhausted. The team played the game with a great attitude and with a genuine spirit to win it from the very first minute. We never put our head down against a top club like Manchester United. That attitude gave us the victory," Sanchez said to Standard Sport.

"We also played like that away at Manchester City [winning 2-0 on 18 January]. We showed a great winning mentality that day. If we add that to the very talented squad we have, we will be able to beat anyone.

"The Champions League race is all down to us. If we want to stay in the top four or climb some places on the table, we must maintain the winning mentality. I always say that mentality is a crucial aspect in a football environment. If a footballer goes on the pitch with the right mentality he will perform well."

The Chile international has become a good example of the winning mentality at the Emirates Stadium since his £32m ($47m) arrival from Barcelona.

Being overlooked by both Lionel Messi and Neymar at the Camp Nou, he has accepted the challenge of doing a job for Arsenal this season, and has scored 19 goals in 39 appearances.

"I am well adapted to the country and the league. I must keep on learning, though. I want to expand my knowledge of English football in general and Arsenal and my teammates in particular, but overall I love this league. At the end of the day, football was invented in this country, right? I live where football was invented. That makes me really happy," he said.

"Ever since I started watching Premier League I found English football very appealing. I hope to keep on learning from my teammates and keep on improving day after day. That's what I am here for."

Premier League praise from Sanchez

Meanwhile the Chilean forward has also hailed the competitive nature of the Premier League in comparison with La Liga, where Barcelona, Real Madrid – and lately Atletico Madrid – are usually the only teams involves in the title race.

He said: "Here in the Premier League you can get beaten 3-0 by a team lying at the bottom of the table. It is not an unusual thing in English football. That is why any prediction ahead of the game may be very deceptive.

"Regardless of how good or bad the team you play against is, you can feel that there's a huge crowd and pressure everywhere you go. I really like that.

"When I played for Barcelona I knew that some home games were going to be easier than some others as the team had plenty of confidence. That confident mentality helped Barcelona players win games.

"However, a confident mentality may not be enough when it comes to the Premier League. Your opponent is going to run and fight endlessly, regardless of your confidence levels."