Interview

Arteta feels there is still more to come

Despite seeing us score four times, keep a clean sheet and claim three precious Premier League points, Mikel Arteta believes we can still improve after beating Everton 4-0.

Goals from Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and a brace from Gabriel Martinelli saw us claim a comfortable win to move five points clear at the top, but the game had been a stalemate up until Saka’s opener five minutes before the break.

Mikel feels that early period shows that there is still work to do, but was delighted to see his team overcome that difficult start to blow their opponents away, especially in the second half.

“I’m really happy with the performance and the win,” he said post-match “It wasn’t perfect because for the first 20-25 minutes, we had some difficulties and we generated some frustrations. We allowed some opportunities for our opponent to run without creating much. After that, we picked up the game and understood better what we had to do. 

“We were more efficient, much better in the counter-press and regaining the ball straight away and I think once we scored the goals in crucial moments, the team was full of confidence and played a great game in the second half.”

Having seen the goals briefly dry up during a sticky patch over the past few weeks, Arteta is thrilled to see the creativity and clinical finishing return to our attack, which was necessary to break down a stubborn Toffees defence, and help us take our tally to nine goals from our last three games, which all ended in moral-boosting wins.

  

On our cohesion up front, he said: “That’s something we’re going to need, to create a lot of opportunities against this block is really difficult because when we find openings, we have to be clinical and ruthless. I think the way Bukayo scored the first goal, it was top.

 

“It’s obviously really important to bounce back the way we’ve done it. Winning in a convincing way with very strong performances – two away victories and the home victory today.”