Mikel Arteta celebrates with Eberechi Eze after Arsenal’s 4-1 win over Tottenham (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Arsenal moved six points clear at the top of the Premier League with an impressive 4-1 victory over north London rivals Tottenham at the Emirates Stadium.
Eberechi Eze scored a hat-trick for the Gunners in this memorable win, and it was no surprise that Mikel Arteta praised the summer signing from Crystal Palace in his post-match press conference.
The Arsenal manager also gave special praise to Leandro Trossard and Mikel Merino, who impressed against Spurs on Saturday and helped the team take advantage of Manchester City’s blunder.
Watch Arteta’s post-match press conference in full below…
Mikel Arteta press conference after Arsenal vs. Tottenham win – Full transcript
What a fulfilling day. So it was an incredibly impressive win. I mean, what a story.
It was a wonderful day. From the moment the police came back from their international mission, the feeling that they wanted to be together again, ready to fight, ready for the big week, ready for the best, we enjoyed every moment from the preparation, and I enjoyed it.
And, of course, we have to deliver that with the energy that our people bring to the stadium. It makes a big difference. Personally, I think the players have been exceptional from the beginning.
They were very dominant in almost every phase of play. Well, it’s an unforgettable day. You can’t win 4-1 every derby. I hope many Arsenal supporters are very proud and happy.
Did you get the sense that Eze really wanted to make this opportunity almost his own? I mean, this kind of statement performance on these goals…
Things happen for a reason. And after the international assignment, he had two days off and after that one day he was asking me all sorts of questions because he wanted to train, he wanted to improve, he wanted to do some extra practice.
And these things happen when a player has such talent and his desire is at that level. And he fully deserves it. I’m very happy for him because he has brought something to the team from the day he arrived. So it’s a joy and it’s the aura that this team needs and I hope it gives him and the team a lot of confidence that we can win games any time. And that’s the ability he has and he definitely needs to use that talent.
It also feels like one of Leo’s best performances. And with so much noise and conversation around him in the summer and then being grabbed by the scruff of the neck in a game like that, I really felt like he took things to a new level.
Yes, for me, no, because for me it was forbidden for him to leave. There’s no chance. I know what kind of player he is and with all the players we have, he is a player who will make a difference for us. I completely agree. One of his best games, he could have scored one or two more goals and was involved in so many positive actions as he was very aggressive and effective with and without the ball. That’s what we need. As I said earlier, I personally think the players did a great job today.
Can you reflect on Eze’s qualifications to pull the trigger? He takes a lot of shots, but maybe that’s what you were missing last season, which is being the type of guy who sees the ball and hits the ball?
Yes, it doesn’t have to be perfect. Whether it’s on the right or left, on the ground or bouncing at this height, he’ll take it.
And we need to play him very close to the box because he has the quality and ability to finish the action in different ways. Apart from that, for example, the ball he played to Declan in the second minute, I think it was, but the way it went through him and created that big chance was extraordinary. We need to play to his qualities. The more time he spends there, the better it is for the team.
Just by watching Evs, it was clear he had a fantastic year, winning the FA Cup with Palace and making his dream move. Do you feel within him a kind of desire to keep moving forward, keep achieving something, keep winning something?
Yeah. Well, that’s what he’s shown from the beginning. And I remember last summer when he picked up the phone, he said he wants to play for us and he wants to be a part of this team.
You can really feel it. And hopefully he can enjoy today and be ready for Bayern Munich tomorrow.
You’ve talked before about the importance of capitalizing on weekends when your rivals lose. So how important is this result in the context of Liverpool and City?
Yeah, especially after the Sunderland game where we conceded two points on basically the last kick of the game. We were able to win 10 consecutive games without conceding a goal, so we entered the international break with that bitter feeling. And I wanted to get that momentum back and get back to the London Derby and the performance I had today. That’s a good start.
6 points clear. What does that mean?
In this league? Not much. we’re doing really well. We’ve been really consistent and that’s it. So whether you win or lose, when you look at the results, the difference between the scoreline and what actually happens in the match is very small.
we know that. We need to get players back today. It’s great to have Noni (Madueke) back on the pitch, but we’re still missing a lot of key players so we’re going to need everyone.
The good news is we lost Big Gabi. This was a big blow. And then Pierrot joined. I think he was great from the beginning.
What makes you most happy watching the team and the continued performance you all have? What do you think sets you apart from the rest of the group so far?
Well, I don’t know. When you look at our team, it’s application, it’s energy, it’s the desire to be the best version of ourselves every day.
That’s how I feel. Sometimes we’re better, sometimes we’re not as good, but there’s no question to me the drive and desire to win and be there, that’s the biggest attribute of this team.
Interesting movements of Mikel Merino on the pitch. How important was his performance today?
Yes, I think it was another amazing thing. We’re asking him to do the role of a nine, and he’s not a nine, and we’re asking him to do a lot of things that a nine has to do, but he’s a very intelligent player, his work ethic and desire to contribute and make others better are that great, and those performances are a good reason to continue to believe in him.
When it comes to Mikel Merino, does it ever irritate you when people say he’s defensive?
I don’t know… Defense Nine.
