Arteta after north London derby win: ‘It’s a real compliment to the team’ | OneFootball

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta praised his side for their resilience as they ground out a 1-0 win against Tottenham.

Heading into the game without seven first team players and a bench consisting of four academy graduates, Arsenal were made to work hard by their north London rivals throughout the match.

But Arteta’s side defended well and found the breakthrough when Gabriel headed in Bukayo Saka’s corner in the 64th minute, before holding on for a well deserved win.

The Spaniard praised his side’s character after withstanding heavy pressure from their hosts for large spells of the match.

“The resilience that we showed – we knew it would be a tough match and that made it easier,” Arteta said. “They create an unbelievable atmosphere.

“We should have done more in the first half, but we knew we were a bit threat on set-plays and knew we could hurt them.

“We weren’t our best with the ball today, we did a lot of simple things wrong that didn’t allow us to have that continuity. They jump and press every single ball which makes it difficult. The way we defended was so strong.

“It’s a real compliment to the team. Any player in any area of the pitch is ready to do what a lot of people call ‘the ugly things’ and they enjoy to do that part of the game. Then you start to be a complete team to win in any context.

“I’m delighted, because the team over a season has to go over a lot of hurdles. It was difficult because we have lost a lot of important players for us.

“Those who waited for the chance trained and behaved in the right manner. This is the result.”