Mikel Arteta admitted their struggle against Aston Villa but claims they deserve the win against Steven Gerrard’s men.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta admits their struggle against Aston Villa in the Premier League but claims they deserve the win.
The Gunners continue their fine form with a 2-1 win at home against Steven Gerrard team at the Emirate stadium.
Goals from Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli was enough to give the Gunners three points and remain on top of the table.
Speaking with the media after the game Arteta said: “I’m really pleased, really happy, especially with the performance in the first half. I thought we were brilliant, we were at it, we were really intense, we played with enormous speed, quality and efficiency and we should have scored four or five goals and the game would have been over.
“We didn’t manage to do that, in the second half we played in many phases, much more the game that they wanted to play – really stretched with a lot of transition moments, with a lot of duels in open spaces and we suffered a little bit more. And after conceding a goal without conceding anything, from a corner kick, we responded really well again and I think we deserved to win the game.”
The second 45 minute of the game was so tough for Arsenal as they conceded a goal from a corner kick.
Reflecting on the second half Arteta stated that: “I know how this league works and you never get two halves that are exactly the same and they were going to change their approach and they did.
“We struggled a little bit more playing that kind of game, but I think the team competed really well and when we need to, we have that character and resilience to respond, I think the team was at it.
“The team responded really well and we always talked about it. This is going to happen, it’s part of the games, it’s about how you respond to it, obviously, the crowd helps massively the way they are supporting the team, so I’m really happy with the win.”
