Mikel Arteta reflects on an 'emotional' north London derby win

By Katie Catherall

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has hailed his side's 'emotional' north London derby win over Tottenham Hotspur as he becomes the fastest ever Gunners boss to achieve 100 wins in the league.

The Gunners earned an impressivevictory over their fierce rivals Tottenham, as an own goal from Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and two further efforts from Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz secured their place at the top of the league table.

Spurs will have been desperate to dent their opponents title challenge, but despite bagging two goals in the second half, were unable to take anything away from the tie.

The result ensures that Arsenal will end the Premier League game week sitting atop of the table.

Speaking after the game, Arteta reflected on the win, saying: "I was praying. It was a really emotional game. A great team to play against. 3-0 up you're in control and then an individual error happen that clicks something. We started to deal with the situation better, but they have the players to put a lot of courage forward.


Arsenal secured victory over Spurs | Chloe Knott - Danehouse/GettyImages

"This team has another tool to grab which is the confidence that in the big games you have the ability to win it."

Arteta was also asked about Arsenal's chances of winning the Premier League this season, to which the boss gave a simple answer.

He continued: "When you win it's always the case. Last season we didn't against West Ham we didn't score a penalty and we conceded in the 91st minute and we didn't have it because we didn’t win. The margins are so small. Don't get carried away with yourself.

"First of all how much do you want it? How much do they want it? At this level the margins are so small and they're not always going to go for you. Then it's about the courage to."

Arsenal return to action on Saturday, when they host Bournemouth in the league.


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This article was originally published on 90min.com as Mikel Arteta reflects on an 'emotional' north London derby win.