Interview

‘We talked after Liverpool… and we rallied’

Nacho Monreal celebrates with his team-mates

Our goalscorers against Brighton & Hove Albion faced the media shortly after the final whistle blew at Emirates Stadium.

Nacho Monreal had just scored his first Premier League goal since March 2013 while Alex Iwobi netted in the top flight for the first time since January.

Here’s what they said.

on the game…

Iwobi: I wouldn’t say it was comfortable but we made it as easy as we could for ourselves. Brighton are a very good team and they made it difficult for us, but it’s a great result to win the game and come out with a clean sheet.

on it being important to get the early breakthrough…

Monreal: I was really lucky to score today. We knew that it was going to be a difficult game because they defend with a lot of players and it’s not easy to break them down. I was lucky to be there. I scored my second Premier League goal for Arsenal and I was happy to help the team with my goal. The most important thing was that we got the three points and we have to keep going like that.

on Alexis’ assist…

Iwobi: It was great team play and great play from Alexis as well. I’m grateful for the opportunity to come my way. I was able to take it and get a goal.

on whether the defeat at Liverpool was a wake-up call…

Monreal: After Liverpool, we talked because we couldn’t play like we did that day. We lost 4-0 and the image of the team and the club was really poor. From there, the team rallied and we started to play more compact and defended well with everyone in the next few games. We kept a clean sheet in the next game as well and that was important for us because we know we have top players up front who are going to score goals. If the defenders can help the team with a clean sheet, it’s much better for us.