Becoming the first Gunners boss to make it three straight league wins over Tottenham Hotspur since George Graham in 1989, Mikel Arteta was delighted to once again be able to give our fans bragging rights in north London.
We bounced back from falling behind thanks to Son Heung-min’s opener to take the lead with two goals in four minutes thanks to a Dominic Solanke own goal and a Leandro Trossard strike, and we continued to appear solid in the second half to reduce the gap on Liverpool. tops the table with four points.
Mikel asked for a noisy stadium to help us reach the vital three points, and he was happy that we rewarded that with the coveted victory.
Revealing his post-match emotions, Mikel said: “I am extremely happy. We have the opportunity to make a lot of our fans very happy because it’s the most special day of the season, and I think we’ve done that.
“As well as that, I think they will be very proud of the team and the players we have and how privileged we are that they represent this football club the way they do.
“Today was one of the best (atmospheres) I’ve seen. This is what we must do consistently, I said it at the press conference, it depends on us, no one else. There are some things we can’t control – this one we certainly can, so let’s make the most of it.
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Every word from Mikel’s post-Tottenham presser
The coach was also delighted that our return to winning ways after three games without one could help us continue our momentum against the league leaders.
While all the Gooners will be toasting this derby victory for a while, he reckons he and his players will only be able to enjoy it tonight before focusing on Aston Villa on Saturday.
“We put in two big performances, without taking anything away, totally undeserved, but that’s football,” he added. “Then you have to play the biggest game of the season at home and when everyone starts questioning themselves and painting who made the mistakes, the team reacts in a way that shows real determination, a true desire, go there, play to hurt the opposition with and without the ball from the first minute.
“We lost a goal, completely undeserved and still managed to generate so much in the match to fully deserve to win it. The team’s performance, regardless of results, was incredibly good and consistent, so if we continue to be like this, we will be in a good position by April.
“I think the momentum is now. We put in so much effort, recovery, so they have to bounce back immediately and play a match at this level. They must benefit from it, they fully deserve it. Tomorrow we start with Villa and on Saturday we will be ready again.
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Lewis-Skelly after the derby: “I can’t stop smiling!”
The match, and ultimately the victory, was dedicated to Gabriel Jesus, who suffered an ACL injury on Sunday that is expected to sideline him for several months.
It’s a big blow for a player who was in great shape, but our team showed their support by coming out with jerseys encouraging him to stay strong. Mikel thinks it shows the unity in our locker room right now and is happy that their tribute ended with the result Gabby would have wanted.
“It was a great gesture on their part,” added Mikel. “It tells the story of the locker room, the spirit and the culture that we created. We really love him, it’s very unfortunate because he’s been through a lot, so I hope he’s proud at home watching the team.
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Highlights: Arsenal 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur
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