Arteta reveals his blueprint Arsenal followed perfectly to earn right to return top of league
Mikel Arteta has highlighted how Arsenal followed his ideal blueprint in their 3-1 win over Chelsea on Tuesday night, insisting they deserve to see themselves occupying top spot.
Arsenal have moved top of the Premier League table again for the time being after a scintillating win over Chelsea. Martin Odegaard scored a brace in the first half before a goal from Gabriel Jesus further strengthened their position of dominance.
Noni Madueke pulled one back for Chelsea in the second half, but Arsenal had already inflicted an irreversible amount of damage on their London rivals.
Consequently, they are two points clear at the top of the table, although second-placed Manchester City have two games in hand over them.
Yet after their 4-1 defeat to Man City last week, Arsenal have responded by sending a reminder that they remain very much in the title race.
Arteta told Match of the Day: “The first 60 minutes, I thought the team played really well. We need to be us, and that was everything I want to see from our team.
“Speed, quality, movement, two beautiful goals, we connected with our crowd and created an incredible atmosphere. They have been incredibly supportive of what we have done and we wanted to earn the right to be top of the league. We are, and happy to be there.”
Arteta gives Gabriel injury update and outlines Odegaard contribution
It wasn’t all good news for Arteta, though, as he had to take off Gabriel Magalhaes towards the end of the match. The centre-back was replaced by Rob Holding from the bench.
Reacting to Gabriel’s injury, Arteta said: “He could not carry on. We have to assess him. He was not comfortable.”
Arsenal will be dwelling on the positives, though – Odegaard’s impactful display being chief among them.
Arteta said of his captain: “He has 14 goals this season. His contribution to the team, his leadership skills, I’m really pleased with him.”
Arsenal will next be in action on Sunday when they visit fellow top-four side Newcastle United. By then, title rivals Man City will have contested games against West Ham and Leeds.
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