Mikel Arteta reached one personal landmark as Arsenal beat Tottenham Hotspur 3-2 in a Premier League clash on Sunday afternoon.
Arsenal were able to maintain their pace at the top of the Premier League table with a North London derby triumph on Sunday afternoon.
A Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg own goal, and strikes from Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz were enough to give the Gunners a 3-0 lead by half-time. Arsenal set a new North London derby record by racking up such an advantage so quickly.
However, Tottenham Hotspur fought back after the break. An error from goalkeeper David Raya gifted Spurs a goal and sparked a swing in momentum. After Son Heung-min pulled back another from the penalty spot late on there was a nervy final few minutes for the Gunners to endure.
However, the visitors held firm, and Arsenal fans were impressed by how Raya recovered from his mistake to provide an assured and composed presence between the sticks in the final stages of the game.
Mikel Arteta has made Arsenal Premier League title contenders
This win kept Arsenal alive and kicking in the Premier League title race. Whilst they still need Manchester City to drop points in order to stand any chance of being crowned champions, Mikel Arteta’s side are now doing all they can to take this race down to the wire.
It should not be forgotten that Arteta has done a remarkable job in making Arsenal genuine title contenders in the first place.
When the Spanish coach first took the reins at the Emirates Stadium in December 2019, stepping into his first ever managerial role in the process, the Gunners were a long way from title contention.
Since then, the former midfielder has transformed the club. He has built a young, talented side who are hungry for success.
Mikel Arteta reaches Premier League milestone as Arsenal boss with win over Spurs
Progress hasn’t always been smooth, of course. Earlier on in his tenure there were times when the manager came under real pressure, as results were inconsistent and there were clashes with big players. However, sporting director Edu has since explained why Arsenal stuck by Arteta throughout this period.
The club have been rewarded for their faith in the coach. Arteta has now reached a reached another personal milestone which underlines his success. This victory over Spurs was Arteta’s 100th Premier League win as Arsenal manager, as reported by the club’s official X account.
Arteta has reached this figure after just 169 top flight outings in charge. By contrast, Arsene Wenger needed 179 games in charge of Arsenal to record 100 Premier League victories. Only four other managers, Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp, Jose Mourinho, and Sir Alex Ferguson have reached this milestone in fewer games.