Mikel Arteta lauds Arsenal's resilience in 'ugly' victory over Tottenham
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has expressed his admiration for his team's resilience following their 1-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in the North London derby on Sunday. Despite losing a couple of players to injury and suspension, including Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard, and Riccardo Calafiori, the Gunners managed to secure a win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Gabriel's second-half header was the only goal of the match. Here's more.
Arteta praises team's adaptability amid player losses
Arteta acknowledged the challenges his team faced due to player losses. He said after the match, "We had to adapt a little bit because of some of the players we lost." Despite these setbacks, he commended his team for not making excuses and showing their love for the game. "Sometimes to win you have to do ugly things and they love to do that," Arteta added.
Arsenal's set-piece success and upcoming challenges
The winning goal came from a corner, continuing Arsenal's impressive record from set-pieces. As per Opta, since last season, they have scored more goals (24) from dead-ball situations than any other team in the Premier League. This victory marks a positive start for Arsenal as they prepare for their Champions League opener against Atalanta on Thursday and a match against defending champions Manchester City next Sunday.
Arteta credits set-piece specialist coach for Arsenal's success
Arteta credited set-piece specialist coach Nicolas Jover, who joined Arsenal from Manchester City in 2021, for the team's success in dead-ball situations. "I made the decision to bring him to City when I was there and to Arsenal," Arteta said. He further praised Jover and his staff for instilling a belief that there are many ways to win games, attributing this mindset as a key factor in their recent victory.
Arsenal are second in the points table
Tottenham had 0.74 expected goals to Arsenal's 0.73. Spurs had 15 attempts with 5 shots on target. Arteta's side had 7 attempts with four shots on target. The hosts had 29 touches in the opposition box to Arsenal's 23. Spurs also had 64% ball possession. After 4 matches, Arsenal are second with 10 points (W3 D1). Spurs are 13th (W1 D1 L2) and own four points.
