Carl Jenkinson has been speaking after Arsenal’s 5-1 rout of Bournemouth. Read on for what he had to say.

Jenkinson not only made his first Premier League start for the Gunners in 830 days but he also performed exceptionally well on the right flank as Unaia Emery’s side thrashed the Cherries to consolidate a top-four place and move within touching distance of bitter rivals Spurs.

Jenkinson spoke to the media about the race for Champions League football and Saturday’s huge north London derby after the game. This is what he said:

On whether it was the perfect game…

Yeah, it was great. It was always going to be a difficult game because they’re a good team and they try to play like us. Fair play to us, they came here and they tried to play. It felt great to be back out there and great to win too, so all in all it’s fantastic.

On how much space he was getting on the right…

Yeah I think it opened up at times. I wouldn’t say I was surprised because they put three in the middle at one point, so I knew there would be a bit of space out wide for me and Seo in the first half. Then when we started going ahead, the game opened up because they needed to get back into it as well. It was quite an open game but it was good. I had an opportunity to get forward as well and it was a good game for me.

On starting both halves quickly…

I think it always helps. A goal helps in every football match and we scored them at a really good time. Of course that helps, especially when we were coming out for the second half and getting a goal very early on. We came out with a game plan and when you get one straight away, it changes the whole game again. It turned out to be a really good win.

On whether we’re looking higher than just fourth…

I think it’s a very easy thing to say but we’re looking at one game at a time. That’s the way we’ve got to look at things and it’s the way the manager looks at things. We just keep building. In the last few games in particular, we’ve played some really good stuff. We’re looking like a very strong side, which we are. We’ve got a lot of really talented players and we want to show that we can do well at the minute. Of course, we’ve got a tough game coming up but we’re going into it with a lot of momentum and a lot of confidence.

On how much this period will define our season…

It’s hugely important. Towards the end of the season is a very critical time because the competitions are coming to an end and it’s about being consistent to get the results. I think we’re doing that really well at the minute but we’ve got some big games coming up. It’s a very important time for us but as players, we all know that. Our focus is on doing a good job and doing what we need to do.

Jenkinson was speaking to Arsenal.com