“It was about making a step” – Arteta’s honest verdict after win that reshapes Arsenal’s title charge
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta described the victory over Crystal Palace as the club’s hardest match of the season so far.
The Gunners battled through a difficult encounter at Emirates Stadium, extending their strong start to the campaign with another determined performance.
Despite losing William Saliba and Declan Rice to injury, Arsenal showed discipline and resilience to secure their seventh consecutive victory across all competitions.
Arteta praises team maturity after tough battle
Arteta expressed his delight with the result, calling it a significant step forward for his team.
“I’m really happy with this one,” he said after the game. “I just said to the boys that it was probably the biggest victory that we had this season – the way I was feeling it today, it was about making another step.”
He reflected on how the Gunners have improved against teams that caused problems last season.
“We’d played three teams that last season we lost points against and Palace was another one, and they are in a really good moment. I knew we had to be very patient and not get frustrated, because it was very difficult to open them up.”
The Spaniard highlighted the discipline his side showed when facing a side dangerous on the break.
“They do that to every team, and the moment that you lose certain concentration and get frustrated, they start to open up and they are lethal in counter-attacks, in open spaces and on set pieces.”
Gunners extend fine league form
Arteta also praised his players for staying composed under pressure and taking their chances when it mattered.
“So I’m very glad that the team showed that maturity, we found a way to score a brilliant goal through Ebs(Eze) and keep another clean sheet.”
Arsenal’s win keeps them top of the Premier League, collecting 22 points from nine matches. They have lost only once and conceded just three goals so far, highlighting their strong defensive record this season.
The victory over Palace once again underlined Arsenal’s growing consistency and their ability to grind out results in demanding fixtures.
Arteta will now hope that the injuries to Saliba and Rice are not serious as his side continues their busy schedule across multiple competitions.
The post “It was about making a step” – Arteta’s honest verdict after win that reshapes Arsenal’s title charge first appeared on ArsenalNews.co.uk.