Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta has expressed his pleasure in his team’s performance as they beat Newcastle 2-0 at the St. James’ Park.
A 10th minute strike from Mohamed Elneny and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s close-range finish ensured the Gunners grabbed all three points ahead of the Europa League second-leg tie against Villarreal.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, Arteta says despite rotating his side, they showed the right attitude to see off Newcastle.
“This game showed our focus is still there in the Premier League.”
“We believe that anything is possible if you’re picking up points and we wanted to put bad results out of the way.
“We had a great attitude from the beginning, some big moments of real quality and had total control from the start.”
Explaining the reason for rotating his starting lineup so much, he added: “We refreshed the team because we’ve played so many games.
“Thursday was very demanding – we played 40 minutes with 10 men – but the team was really committed and focused on this game and that’s why we won.
“We controlled the game and we accelerated it when we needed to. The early goal gave us confidence which we needed after the defeat on Thursday.
“We have to do as well as we can and finish as high as we can.”
The only negative this afternoon was an injury to David Luiz. Just back from seven games on the sidelines, the Brazilian pulled up with a hamstring problem and had to be substituted just after half time. He limped off looking dejected.
“It’s incredible the amount of injuries we’ve had,” said Arteta. “We’re losing big players but there’s nothing we can do about it.
“It’s a shame because David had made a big effort to be available as quick as possible after surgery on his knee. Today, probably, we lose him again.”
