Mathieu Flamini had dedicated his matchwinning goals at Tottenham Hotspur to the Arsenal fans.
The central midfielder scored the first brace of his career at White Hart Lane on Wednesday night to secure the Gunners’ place in the fourth round of the League Cup, tapping home in the first half before deciding a tightly-contested north London derby with a stunning 20-yard volley 13 minutes from time.
Flamini celebrated that strike in front of the jubilant visiting supporters, who the 31-year-old says have “played a big role” in his career.
“The two goals were for them,” he told Arsenal Player. “They’ve always supported me, they’ve all been behind me and they’ve played a big role in my career. It was important for me to celebrate with them and nobody else.
“It was the first time I’ve scored two times in a game. [It’s good] to score against Tottenham in a derby in such an important game for Arsenal and the fans.
“For me [it’s special] to play against Tottenham in a game that has always been important in my career. It was my first game when I came back to Arsenal and to score two goals today and here was important for me.
“I tried to be a bit creative today. I had the opportunity, I felt that there was maybe a possibility so I went forward [for the first goal] and the ball came back to my feet. I scored with my left foot, which was also a nice surprise.”
Mathieu Flamini at White Hart Lane
Flamini feels the key to the victory in N17 was Arsenal starting the match “with a new dynamic”.
“Today I want to congratulate the guys because they had a great game, a great performance and they showed a lot of solidarity on the pitch,” he added. “I think that’s important, especially after two defeats. Today we started with a new dynamic.
“This was my first start this season so it’s not easy when you don’t have a lot of competition [time]. What’s important is that we did well, I did well and now it’s important to recover.”
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