Mikel Arteta spoke of how tough it was for Arsenal to face Everton on Wednesday night as he suggested a few weeks ago that Sean Dyche’s side were making life “really, really difficult” for Liverpool .
Arsenal beat Everton 4-0 and Arteta added he was pleased with the “maturity” and “quality” shown by his squad As he told Premier League Productions (3 Jan 23 at 10:10pm)
It wasn’t that long ago that Everton beat Arsenal 1-0 at Goodison Park in Dyche’s first game in charge, and Arteta spoke of how his players overcame the defeat.
The door that opened it all was called Bukayo Saka, whose thunderous effort before half-time began to open holes for the relegation strugglers.
Gabriel Martinelli added moments later as Everton’s game was over by the time they could return to half-time.
But Arteta spoke of what the Toffees have done so well, and what a difficult client they have been, when speaking about their recent trip to Anfield.
“They were well organized and really difficult to play,” Arteta said. “You look at the game and the balls they conceded. They were in deep blocks. But once we scored the first goal, the game unlocked.
“Especially them, the way they play and how they play in straight games. Second balls and making set pieces. Shorter points are not enough because they can get into the game immediately. But we played really well, Ben Can score more goals.
“This league is a different story. We showed that when we played at Goodison. This team played at Anfield and they made it difficult for Liverpool too, so we knew that. What showed to us Very pleased with the performance, maturity and quality.”
Arsenal respond like champions
After losing at Goodison Park last month, dropped points against Brentford and then lost to Manchester City.
Obvious questions were asked then, but those in the Arsenal shirt responded like champions.
City are now five points clear as they welcome Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United to the Etihad at the weekend, while the Gunners take on relegation contenders Bournemouth.
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