Arsenal Football Club has reignited their Premier League title aspirations after a comeback victory over Tottenham Hotspur in the North London derby.
The win has increased the Gunners’ chances, and manager Mikel Arteta is confident that his team is still in the running for the top spot.
Setbacks, including a loss in the first leg of the EFL Cup semi-final against Newcastle United and an exit from the FA Cup after a penalty shootout with Manchester United, had marred Arsenal’s recent performances.
The match began with Tottenham’s Son Heung-min scoring the opening goal, but Arsenal’s took over with an own goal by Dominic Solanke in the 40th minute, followed by Leandro Trossard’s goal in the 44th minute.
During the post-match conference, Arteta expressed his pride in the team’s outstanding performance, stating, “I’m very proud of the team, I think we were sensational. I think it was a good test to see after two big performances and not getting rewarded in two different competitions.”
When asked if the win reignites Gunner’s title hopes, he responded, “I believe we truly deserve to win the game. We’ve made many people happy, especially proud to witness a team that plays with such conduct once more.”
Arteta also acknowledged the electric atmosphere at the stadium, saying, “Today was one of the best atmospheres that I’ve seen. That’s what we have to do consistently.” The Arsenal X account shared a video of Arteta’s post-match comments, with the caption, “Mikel shows love back to that incredible support tonight.”
Despite the victory, Arteta criticized Arsenal’s finishing, believing they missed significant scoring opportunities that could have led to a bigger goal margin. He said that there were crucial chances and moments in the game, but ultimately, they had to endure more challenges than preferable. He said when opportunities arise, they must be seized, especially since the team was in a strong league run.
