Press conference

Arteta on Gabriel, Partey, Ramsdale and victory

Mikel Arteta left Turf Moor feeling upbeat after seeing his side claim all three points on Saturday afternoon.

Martin Odegaard's free-kick clinched a 1-0 victory in the north west and helps us to keep building positive momentum ahead of clashes with AFC Wimbledon and Tottenham in the coming week.

The boss faced the media before heading back south - and here is everything he said:

on the performance...

A really hard-fought victory in a place that it is tough to come to and win. They do really well with what they do. They put you under a lot of pressure but I think we started the game really well, controlling and dominating the game. We had some big phases where I saw a lot of things that we want as a team. We scored the goal, had some opening chances and then there were moments where we lost control and started to give balls away after the second or third pass. Then the game becomes open and there is no control. They split the two blocks very much and then you have to defend crosses and long balls. I thought that we did that really, really well. We have players that are not in the best quality to play that game but I think that they did terrifically well and the commitment and the attitude that they showed throughout the game to find a way to win was the most pleasing thing for me, after the game.

on the physicality of Gabriel and Tomiyasu...

Both of them, I think they were really terrific. I think the back four in general was really solid. We didn't concede much, even though they put us under pressure. I thought they were really good.

on Gabriel's impact and having two clean sheets from the two games where he has played...

Yes but we didn't have him, so we don't know how much we missed him. We know that he's a player with an incredible future and is already giving us a lot. He has adapted really well to the league. That's why we signed him. He is stepping in, his language is much better and he can coach and communicate much better with his teammates. He understands what we want and I don't think it gets much harder than playing here in the Premier League. He was terrific today.

on Thomas Partey's performance...

He's really important because he is the anchor and he is the one that needs to read what is happening and make the rest better. That's his biggest job, to get the right balance in the team and get the right fluidity in the team so we can attack. How he managed the transitions was top, he has the pressing and the charisma and then he struggled at the end. He could not finish the game because he was cramping. But that will come up. He missed a long time but now he's back again and he needs some more fitness back.

on Kieran Tierney's substitution...

He had a problem and he was cramping. The pitch was pretty difficult today. It was long and it was pretty warm to be playing here and some players suffered in the last 10 or 15 minutes.

on Bukayo Saka and whether he has struggled a bit post-Euros...

Well, he hasn't had a lot of preparation physically. I think there are still things to improve there, but he is trying hard. He is another one who struggled in the final minutes. But it's great that he's able to suffer and somehow come through that and manage these difficulties and adversities during games where it is not really going for him. That is part of football. He had parts where he was brilliant and then he struggled and then he was brilliant again. That is better than being brilliant and then to struggle, struggle and struggle. So it's part of his development and I'm really happy with him.

on speaking of wanting 'specialists' in every position and if he feels the squad is closer to that ideal now...

We are much closer. But what we identified and recruited was players with really specific qualities and then to demand them to do what they are the best at. I thought today was a really good example with some of the players playing in those positions that give you something different.

on Emile Smith Rowe and Martin Odegaard playing a bit deeper at times...

Well they have to come deeper depending on which phase of our play we are in and in relation to what the opponent are doing. In the final third, they obviously have to play in the pockets, they have to play higher and their job is to attack certain spaces and go for the goal and have contributions for us to score goals. We had parts where they did really well but the final pass or the final decision wasn't that great. If it was, the score probably would've been different.

on the fact we have struggled in these types of games before and whether results like this change the mindset...

Hopefully, yes. It builds confidence and trust and belief that you can go through difficult moments in matches and still win at the end. That's the outcome we all want. Obviously the performance has to be there as individually we had some magnificent ones and collectively in patches we had as well some of that. But we need more consistency in that, with how we manage the games. It's incredibly important. We are young and you can still see in the last 10 or 15 minutes that there are some decisions that we take that should probably be a little bit different. But overall I am really proud of the boys.

on Aaron Ramsdale putting in an impressive display and whether his command of his box shows his character...

Yes, exactly. That's his character and his leadership. That's how he presents himself as a person as well and that's what I like. He has a presence and he dominates his area.

See Full List

Fixtures & Results

Premier League
Ticket Info