Mathieu Flamini has hailed the spirit inside the Arsenal squad this season.

They are just a point behind Premier League leaders Chelsea with 12 matches remaining, and set up an FA Cup quarter-final with Everton after overcoming Liverpool 2-1 on Sunday with a performance that led Flamini to liken the current playing pool to the victorious side of 2005.

"What I will say about this season is that I see a great commitment, I see everyone working very hard on the pitch and helping each other," said the midfielder, who played for the club between 2004 and 2008, before returning last summer for a second spell.

"I think it is what we had when I was here and we won the FA Cup because against Liverpool it was a difficult game, from the first to the last minute everyone worked very hard, even the players playing up front.

"We asked them to defend and to help the team and they did it very well, which is very important for us. It was important to show some character on the pitch, some solidarity."