Nacho Monreal has lavished praise on Arsenal teammate Alexis Sanchez as his resurgence continued in Sunday's 3-0 win over Manchester United at the Emirates.

Two goals from the Chilean, either side of Mesut Ozil's second, saw them romp into a healthy lead inside 20 minutes yesterday in a win that put them second in the Premier League table.

Sanchez brought his total for the season to six, with the previous four coming in the last eight days following a sluggish start from the Gunners' Player of the Year last term.

"Last year he showed what an important player he is for the team," the Spanish left-back told the club's official website. "He scored 25 goals in all competitions and this season he has started really well.

"In the first games, he couldn't score goals but now he's scoring goals. We need Alexis to score more goals and we are happy for him because he's a really important player for us.

"When he's fit, the level of the team is higher, so we are really happy."

Arsene Wenger's men sit two points behind Manchester City heading into the second international break.