Mikel Arteta was full of praise for his players after Arsenal thrashed Sheffield United 6-0 at Bramall Lane to make it seven consecutive wins in the Premier League.
Martin Odegaard polished off a slick move to stamp the Gunners’ authority on the game early on before an own goal by Jayden Bogle and Gabriel Martinelli’s strike put the result beyond doubt before the 15-minute mark. Clinical finishes by Kai Havertz and Declan Rice stuck the knife into the Blades as the Gunners hit five goals before the break for the first time in a Premier League away game.
Ben White’s goal on 58 minutes underlined Arsenal’s hunger for more goals but a raft of substitutions, including the introduction of newly fit Gabriel Jesus, Fabio Vieira and Thomas Partey, slowed the pace of the game.
Frustratingly, Gabriel Martinelli picked up a foot injury along the way but it shouldn’t take the shine off a night that saw the visitors keep up the pressure on Liverpool and Manchester City.
“I loved the way the team played, the quality that we showed, the aggression as well without the ball,” Arteta told Sky Sports.
“We were really determined from the beginning. We were all worried because it’s a very tricky game. They are a team that has done really well against some big teams as well. We are really happy with the winning, the amount of goals that we scored and a clean sheet.
“We have to continue to do what we are doing. I’m really happy with the players that played, really happy to get some players back after a long time, like Fabio [Vieira], like Thomas [Partey], and then maintain the momentum. And now it’s Brentford, and we enjoy that today, and tomorrow it’s Brentford and Brentford and Brentford, and keep going.”
Arsenal came into the game with the best goal difference in the top division after a stellar run of form since mid-January. Extending that advantage just adds to optimism that Arteta’s side have the firepower needed to push for a first title since 2004.
“This is going to be crucial if we win the remainder of the games,” warned the manager. “And in order to do that, we have to be brilliant from now and that’s the most important thing.
“We really love our players and our job is to improve them and to give them the resources and to put them in situations where they can explore their qualities.
“That’s what we try to do and the fact that so many of them are scoring obviously it creates a sense of confidence and a thread around the team that anybody can score a goal.”
Arsenal can go top if they beat Brentford on Saturday night and for once know either Liverpool or City are guaranteed to drop points on Sunday because they play each other. It could be a crucial moment in the title race.
“I know how tough it’s going to be against Brentford, it always is,” added Arteta. “We will try to prepare the game in the best possible way and again, playing and performing the way we are doing and earn the right to win.”
I am positive, but losing Saka and Martinelli at the same time is like a bird losing both wings…
Martinelli just a cut and Saka was feeing unwell. Both will be fine next week.
Anyone would feel nauseous after running rings around the opposition that fast for that long.
You would think the media a d pundits would be emphasizing how this is Arteta’s first ever managerial rodeo, and how he is able to find gem players like Tomi, Kiwior (whom no one ever heard of before we signed him) and turn them into reliable members of the squad.
No, they’d analyse how he “celebrates too much”. Such a sorry state of affairs.
This man deserves more praise for how he has truned the fortunes of this club around. Not only on the pitch, but off it too.
Martin Tyler and Jim Beglin were full of praise–repeated again and again–for the job Arteta has done and the way Arsenal play. Same with Danny Higgenbotham and Robbie Musto (the USA studio analysts). You need to swithc streams.
In football praise needs to be earned over a sustained period for it to stick. We instinctively dislike those who deserve praise if we are not aligned with them – but those who truly earn respect from sustained success will get the praise that they deserve – Mikel is well on his way to joining the ranks of managers we begrudgingly respect as opposition fans due to their obvious talent – so the praise will come once the consistency is there – and it most certainly will
For the most part of the last six, seven years it looked like the rangers celtic league duel with Liverpool and City. They raised the bar so high most of us couldn’t see an end to that. Enter Arteta and we are now seeing three very good teams, managers fighting it out closely with ten, eleven games to go. This is not an out of the blue fluke, he has been there for two seasons now and without him last season would have looked horrific with Pep walking it at a snail’s pace. People will say until he wins the… Read more »
Yes praise needs to be earned, but I don’t think this is the problem. The problem is amongst some good pundits and commentators is a bunch of former players or old timers who will jump at any opportunity. Many of them hate it when we are doing well, and jump at any opportunity to bash us. That’s why you have to search a better channel, or stream at times. Sometimes, I just watch Arabic or Spanish streams. I dont even know what they are saying but many of them are better than most of these hacks.
Is it more, or are we once again starting to exude that aura that we’ve already beaten other teams before the first whistle goes?
Standing in the tunnel opposite Saliba, Gabriel, Saka, Rice, White et al, there’s a real intimidation factor there that we’ve not had since.. 2006?
There’s obviously work to be done prior, with Brentford, but I can’t wait to absolutely hammer Porto just like this!
Hopefully we can do this against Porto at home.
Do we have to play Brentford three times next week?
Think that’s just how many times he wants to smash them. The punishment for “nice kick around with the boys” must still be running haha… really hope so!