A delightful Mikel Arteta attended the post-match press conference after Arsenal faced Tottenham in the North London derby on Saturday afternoon. Arteta was visibly happy with his team’s performance as they drafted a well-versed win over Antonio Conte’s Lilywhites.
A win against a so-called “English top six” was really needed for the Gunners. Because Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United got better of them on matchday 6, however, they lost with a very similar scoreline.
Goals from Thomas Partey, Gabriel Jesus and Granit Xhaka ensured that the Gunners head home with a victory. And Gabriel Jesus still hasn’t lost a Premier League match in which he has scored.
What does Mikel Arteta have to say about Arsenal’s victory in the North London derby?
Firstly in the press conference, Mikel Arteta was asked about how he thinks his team has performed in the North London derby. To which the Spaniard replied in a super delightful manner. He said that he’s happy with his team’s performance and he’s satisfied with everyone.
“I’m really happy, it was a great performance, a great day with an incredible atmosphere to play in. I’m so grateful to all the people that connect with the team in such a special way. I’m really happy because it’s an opportunity to make a lot of people happy and proud and I think we have delivered that to all of them.”
The coach confidently said that his team deserved to win. He also added that he wasn’t worried when Antonio Conte’s side got an equalizer in the first half.
Arteta was then questioned about Thomas Partey’s goal. To which he said, “The moment that the ball was going into the net and I could see it going in, and then obviously the celebration!”
When the conference was about to end, the Spanish coach was asked about Arsenal’s title fate. Journalists asked that should they see the Gunners as title contenders.
To which Arteta replied “I’ll leave that to you guys, honestly. We are just at the start, and we are really happy with where we are, and understanding that you cannot control [everything]. Because emotion is related, and the table says what it says, but it is not something that we look at.”