Mikel Arteta joked that he showed people he could still sprint after racing down the touchline to celebrate Leandro Trossard’s stoppage-time strike against Liverpool.
Taking control of the ball just in front of his manager, the Belgian nipped past Harvey Elliott put his head down and audaciously slipped the ball through the legs of Reds’ keeper Alisson to seal a 3-1 win that puts the Gunners back in the title race.
As the cameras panned away from the players, Arteta was off, although he had the good sense to curtail his sprint knowing he might pick up a caution for his over-exuberance.
“You can see that I can still sprint!” he later told Arsenal.com.
“I realised I was going to get booked so I started to turn around immediately because I want to be next to the team.”
60,000 + 11
Together as one. pic.twitter.com/NZ6WMxHiVE
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) February 4, 2024
The Spaniard was a ball of energy throughout the pulsating encounter, constantly waving his arms at the crowd to whip up more noise whenever he sensed they were getting nervous.
Having spoken passionately in his pre-game press conference about the need for supporters to “play every single ball”, he also asked the club to produce a video, released on social media on the morning of the game, that highlighted the importance of the players and fans being together as one.
It did the trick. The Emirates crowd, suitably libated by the hard-working publicans of Islington, was cacophonous at kick-off.
“It’s a massive win – a beautiful day. We needed a huge performance from the players. I think they delivered that; they’ve put their heart and soul in every ball.
“They did a lot of very good things to control and dominate this team, and then we needed our people as well at their best.
“Tonight, I think we’ve gone to a different level [atmosphere-wise] of what we’ve shown this season. We demanded that, we tried to produce a video to let them [the supporters] know how important they are and how important they needed to be. And when we do that together, we’re a real force.
“Thank you so much, because it made the team feel and behave in a way that’s different because the energy that they bring is just amazing.”
The effect of the noise certainly made an impression on the players as well.
Man-of-the-match Jorginho, noted: “It was a special day. The supporters, they were behind us and we could feel it and it was just an amazing, amazing football match and an amazing day for us.
”They’ve been there for us for a long time now and all we try to do is to give it back, and we push ourselves to the limit and we try, try to make them happy the way they support us, because they deserve it, and today everyone was happy.”
Declan Rice, also imperious in the centre of the park, added: “These are the moments we live for in football and I’m just so happy we could win the match, it was massive from start to the end and to get three points, with that energy from the crowd, was just unbelievable.”
Arsenal have a few days to nurse tired legs before they go again at West Ham United on Sunday. The Hammers have been a bogey team this season, winning both at the Emirates in the league and at the London Stadium in the Carabao Cup. Our 2-2 draw away last season also proved hugely damaging to our title ambitions, so we owe them one.
Was at the game and the singing just after the second goal was damn near the loudest I’ve heard at Emirates. It felt very slighlty subdued at the start which I think made the intensity of the roar even greater. Fantastic result!
And yeah I think MA owes us now by winning 10 in a row, like his Master Pep would do esp. during the business end of the season.
Klopp pulled his hamstring doing the touchline celebration last season, so we’ve got the fitter manager too 😀
Like the boss says lets do this…arsenal will not win the league this season without the fans…forget the media and the pundits…it is very very possible
We need to do a Leicester ie cheer the team even when are playing a team who has just scored against us…..let the cheer be very loud ..that includes when we are playing badly against a bottom 3 team..
All you need to win the league is belief and momentum if we win out next 4 games we will have both and its game on….
From ‘North London forever’ to the very end it was the loudest we’ve been this season. I think that early chance for Martinelli from the throwout set the tone and got everyone thinking we were going to have a go rather than sitting back. It’s a tactic that has been sadly under used.
…and we will give them one, West Ham.
Is anyone else finding this whole celebration police thing quite entertaining? All of the people who dislike arsenal are genuinely losing their mind and it’s so funny. Their tears are delicious.
Most definitely!! It was irritating at first how they jumped on us after last minute winners, but now, I just love it! You don’t often get to see these pundits’ tears as clearly as this. After all the shit they talk during commentary and punditry, I rather see and hear them cry about rubbish, than have them kissing our collective asses. Many could hardly critique the game and our performance, they just focused on the celebrations, probably because they know what is happening on the pitch. hahaha
So journalist kids donkeys? Who knew?
I love it.
There are *two* things left. Two. Two things they can find to moan about. “Arsenal need a striker” and “Celebrating too much”.
This is sincerely what the moaners of the world are reduced to. “You’re having too much fun. You’re too happy”. Seriously? This is what they have left? There’s no dressing room drama, no divas, no discord, no “so-and-so-wants-to-leave”, nothing. “You’re too happy”.
Go utterly f*** yourselves, you miserable barstids. You’re *welcome* to take part in our joy. It’s inclusive. But seriously? We’re to happy?
Excellent blog today blogs but you certainly let Havertz off lightly. Saying his shot was saved by the keeper (for the Saka goal) was factually true, however his effort was appallingly tame as usual and in truth he Never at any time, looked like scoring.
& yes for Liverpool’s goal Saliba should have cleared it but the equally dithering Raya showed a lack of confidence for not sensing the danger and taking charge.
Yes, but aside from that shot Havertz was very influential in this game. His movement and positioning in space was good, he gave their defenders a hard time, worked extra hard as he always seems to do. I agree he needs to be much more clinical, decisive and ruthless, but his performance as good. Over the season, fans and pundits have jumped on him at points, and while I haven’t seen the 60m+ value yet, he has been more than decent overall for me. he adds something we lacked heavily, his versatility is underrated, and he works hard for the… Read more »
Yawn. I’ll state yet again. I don’t hate Havertz. But at time when we add game changing players like Declan Rice to elevate our game to a different level, Havertz brings us nothing even close. Yes, yes his versatility, movement, tracking back etc etc that you all go on about is all stuff that Xhaka did 100 times better and he could shoot with more power than a toddler. They’re also qualities that come with most players costing half that price. At the level we’re at and aspire to be at, we need a player who does more than track… Read more »
On the minor issue, I thought it was a decent attempt–the proof being that Alison could do nothing except palm it back into danger.
I thought Havertz was very strong yesterday and very important in our “Liverpool formation.” That is (as Klopp described it) effectively a 4-2-2-2 with Havertz and Odegarrd playing as “double 10’s” and forming a box midfield four with Rice and Jorginho. Watch the game again, keeping this in mind, and maybe you will see that Havertz’ contribution was essential.
Ironically given goal #2, I think Allisson does really well here to take away a lot of the angles Havertz had. Normally I think Havertz might try one more touch to go around Allisson but there was a defender streaming back right in that space. So I don’t think it was the worst shot ever and as you point had enough strength so that it could only be parried ( even though it didn’t look that strong to me).
I couldn’t agree more. The German Giraffe was a menace for the Liverpool defenders. He might not have scored but did he need to? What many people fail to understand is that football is a team sport. Others scored, we beat the best team in England, what’s the moaning about?
You’re just as bad as the pundits with your ceaseless narrative that the manager isn’t up to task. Get on board or get off the train, can’t be carrying negative passengers on this journey.
Every post is negative win or loss. Definitely not an Arsenal fan, just a troll or rammers father. Literally posted shit up until kickoff then didn’t post until he mentioned how he loved Ramsdale telling ref to hurry up. Next comment a raya critique, yet doesn’t mention how he created one if not two of our goals. An absolute Ramsdale hard on this one.
There was plenty of noise at the Emi Rates as well. Enough for the cats to do a runner when the first goal went in.