Mikel Arteta says his Arsenal team have sent a message after beating who he describes as the best team in the world in Manchester City on Sunday.
"It's a great feeling obviously, you could sense it’s been so many years without beating them and today we have beaten in my opinion without a question of doubt the best team in the world, and we done it in a great way," Arteta told the club's official website.
"There were moments we had to suffer, but as well moments we showed real determination, desire and belief to beat them, so I'm really happy.
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"It certainly sends a message to the team, to keep believing in what they are doing. They are a fantastic group of players, the way they try, the understanding, the chemistry that they have between them you sense it and you need it to beat that, today again really proud. I was proud on Wednesday when we lost the game, and I am really proud again today as well to be part of that team."
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Arsenal missed out on the Premier League title last season to Man City, who in recent years have been their nemesis. Until Sunday, Arsenal had lost 12 successive top-flight matches to them, while Arteta had never beaten his former mentor, Pep Guardiola, in the league.
Arteta says losing to City during that run has helped his team to mature.
"I don’t know if it was a barrier," he added. "Obviously, it’s something that we needed to go through.
"To beat them, first of all, you have to lose against them. We have to lose probably the way we lost at the Etihad, because we lost in two different ways, last season when we were the better team in the first half and then we conceded the goal after [Takehiro] Tomiyasu’s backpass and [Kevin] De Bruyne scoring. But the team showed a real maturity today, that maturity comes from experiences and sometimes you need that to become a better team."
💬 "We have beaten the best team in the world today, by far in my opinion, and we have done it with a huge performance."
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) October 8, 2023
The boss on a massive win 👇
Guardiola: The season is long
For Man City, they have lost successive Premier League matches for the first time since 2018, and have dropped to third in the table, behind leaders Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Man City
MCI
|
38 | +62 | 91 |
| 2 |
Arsenal
ARS
|
38 | +62 | 89 |
| 3 |
Liverpool
LIV
|
38 | +45 | 82 |
| 4 |
Aston Villa
AVL
|
38 | +15 | 68 |
| 5 |
Spurs
TOT
|
38 | +13 | 66 |
| 6 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
38 | +14 | 63 |
And while Guardiola says there is a lot of football yet to play this season, his post-match comments suggest he knows the size of the challenge as City try to become the first team in Premier League history to win four titles in a row.
“It was a tight game. Congratulations to Arsenal for the victory," Guardiola told Man City's official website.
“We started really well in the first minutes, they started really well in the second half. With [Gabriel] Martinelli they increased the rhythm. We didn’t create much, they didn’t create much. We defended really well, both teams. At the end one deflection was the difference.
“I have gratitude for the guys, they gave everything. I know how disappointed they are because they are not used to it.
“It is football, it happens. We do not have to win the Premier League. No team ever has won four Premier League in a row.
“We are behind but it is October. Last season it happened but the season is long. We have people coming back and we will try to beat upcoming opponents like Brighton [& Hove Albion] and [Manchester] United."