Mikel Arteta was a very happy man after tasting another derby day success over Tottenham Hotspur, and he was swiftly into the post-match press conference following our 2-1 victory.
He spoke about his emotions post-match, Myles Lewis-Skelyly's display, where the title race is and the importance of this particular win.
Here is everything he had to say:
on winning the north London derby:
I'm very proud of the team, I think we were sensational. I think it was a good test to see after two big performances and not getting rewarded in two different competitions. You have to play the biggest game of the season for our people in those conditions, and it's a test of attitude. You know what we are made of, the courage that we have, how much we really care only about a result or the performance and how much we can do in terms of what is required in the game to be better than the opposition. I think we played from the minute one to hurt them with or without the ball. I think we fully deserve to win the game. I think we made a lot of people very happy, but especially very proud to see a team that behaves in the manner that they have played to it again.
on Myles Lewis-Skelly’s performance:
I think it’s very rare to see 18-year-olds playing against Kulusevski and Johnson in a big London derby for the first time to perform with that composure, attitude and that control emotionally. It's very rare to see.
on being part of Lewis-Skelly’s development:
I think it makes everybody at the club very proud because he's been in our system for a long time and we know the kind of education that the academy is giving to our boys to get prepared. We have to pick them at the moment that we believe they are ready, and with him, it was very, very early and in a different position because he's never played as a full-back before, but he responds in the manner that he's on, which is a enjoy to watch.
on the physical toll of performances like tonight:
It's a behaviour, it's how you respond to a situation, and how you take it - and these boys want more. That's what they want, they want more. They want to be tested. They want to be asked questions and then they want to just talk on the pitch, which is the best way to do that. We have some big, big, big examples today because 72 hours after playing 120 minutes, in a game that probably is the most intense one of the season, I think deserves a lot of credit.
on whether the players enjoyed the game:
Enjoy? Well, they enjoyed a lot the connection with the supporters. That's what it brings, the enjoyment to a different level, and today was special. If we can generate that more, great.
on the importance of a win like this:
We cannot control that. We can't control performances. It's like someone was talking about, is that going to raise the confidence? The confidence to see every day how they play, how they train and how they perform. We're going to depend because we lost in the most incredible way against Manchester United, and now our confidence is damaged? Let's go and do something else, honestly.
on if there is more belief in the title race after tonight:
The result gives us the chance to enjoy the moment instead of momentum because momentum starts tomorrow to prepare us for Villa. Three days later, that's all the momentum that we have until tomorrow morning when we see our faces and we start to talk about how we're going to beat Villa.
on whether Arsenal are in the title race:
We are because there's so much to play for, and we can see how difficult it is for every team to win.
on the nervy moments towards the end of the match:
I think we should have put the game to bed much earlier but, it's what it is. Then we had to suffer, we suffered in the manner that we are capable of doing, but I would like an extra goal.
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