The Gunners were victors in their second Europa League group stage game against Dundalk as they scored three goals from three different players, in a performance that pleased manager, Mikel Arteta.
Arsenal were the favourites on paper going into the game but after Dundalk defended resolutely for 42 minutes, our manager was delighted to see us capitalize on a clinical 10 minutes in north London.
Speaking after the game, Arteta said his side showed how ‘aggression’ and ‘regained’ possession quickly.
“It’s great to start with six points in the first two games,” he told Arsenal.com. “I’m really pleased with the performance of the team, the way they went about the job because sometimes you can get confused when you play this kind of opponent.
“They didn’t, they showed the right attitude and were very insistent, trying to attack in the final third against a very low block. I’m really pleased with the players to whom I haven’t been able to give many opportunities. Today when they had it, they took it really well and that means they are preparing well.
“I could see the purpose and how we were attacking, and I knew the situations were going to appear. It was about not losing that structure and keep doing it for longer periods. But we sustained the attacks much better in the second and third phases as well.
“We were very close in transitions, and then we were very aggressive again. Every time they had the ball, we were super aggressive and regained the ball really high. I’m pleased with that.”
