Mikel Arteta is delighted that we managed to give our supporters the best possible afternoon by beating Tottenham Hotspur and staying in the race for the Premier League title.
We led 3-0 at the break when Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg fired a header into his own goal, Bukayo Saka finished a brilliant counter-attack and Kai Havertz headed in a corner, making it a solid derby day. Showed it as a victory. on the cards.
However we let our opponents back into the game when a mistake from David Raya allowed Cristian Romero to score, and then we conceded a penalty which Heung-min Son sent over to set up a nerve-jangling finish .
But Mikel was thrilled that we managed to win in a game where there was a lot of pressure on us to win.
“It’s a North London derby against our rivals playing against a very good team in a beautiful stadium away from home,” he said. “You have to suffer and that’s part of the fun. So hopefully now we’ve given our supporters a great afternoon and an opportunity to be proud of the team.
“You’re coming here knowing you have to win every game. You’re trying to win the league. You come to this place where your rivals know what has happened with other big teams here, and you have to perform and win the game.
“It feels like we made it really difficult for ourselves, especially the way the game started and with the 3-0 we were in control and the way we performed in the second half.”
An uncharacteristic mistake from Raya saw him play the ball to Romero to score, but Mikel was pleased with how we responded to that blow, and as a team were ready to make sure it helped us. The chances of victory should not be less.
“It’s part of the game and I liked the reaction of the team and especially the guys who were involved in those mistakes because they showed real character,” he said.
“(Rae) stepped up and did what he does best. And that’s when you see players – when things are at stake, it’s courage. It’s very easy to talk, but when something like this happens you have to do it on the pitch. I don’t know if I’d have the courage to do what he’s done, so huge congratulations to him.”
The win was extra sweet for our boss, as it was his 100th win in the Premier League, which he achieved in just 169 games.
While he was pleased that it coincided with the win against Spurs, he was happy to share the credit with all those who played their part in ensuring that the red half of North London screamed the loudest tonight .
“It’s really nice, it’s a special day to celebrate too,” he said. “So, thank you very much to everyone at the club, all the staff who are working with us every day, and especially our players for making this happen.
“Physios, masseurs and nutrition – everyone who is involved in keeping our players in the best physical and mental condition for every game. It’s been a really challenging April, and we have the entire team ready except for Jurion (Timbers). They are in a great place and we need it. We knew how important it was going to be.”
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