We continued our 100% record in the league phase of the Champions League on Wednesday night with a 3-0 win at Club Brugge, and Mikel Arteta has reflected on a splendid evening for several reasons.
Noni Madueke netted either side of half-time including a thunderbolt to open the scoring, while Gabriel Martinelli struck a wonderful third from range to seal a sixth victory in as many European games this season.
Gabriel Jesus made an emotional return to the pitch as a second-half substitute, bringing an end to an 11-month absence for our Brazilian forward, and 16-year-old Marli Salmon was handed his senior debut late on.
"It's a big win. It's very difficult to win away from home in the Champions League, so big credit to the boys for what they have done," the boss recounted.
"We had a lot of players out as well in the defensive line, and we lost two this morning, so it was a challenging one. But that shows the attitude of the players, for example Christian [Norgaard] - the way he prepared himself, how much he wants to play. You ask him to play two minutes, five games in a row as a centre-back and he will do it. It makes all of us much better as a team, so we need to recognise that first of all.
"And then, obviously the difficulty of the match against a team who have had great results in the Champions League against Monaco and Barcelona. It's a very tough place to come. I think we had some great moments that defined the game, and we're really happy with six out of six. We have to go now to Inter and try to beat them as well."
Mikel emphasised the confidence of the team, and praised Gabby and the medical staff upon our No. 9's return in the 62nd minute in Bruges.
"Absolutely [great to see the confidence]. Now we have some players back, it's great to see Noni and Gabi as well score that goal, and a really, really beautiful moment is to see Gabriel Jesus back after 11 months out with the difficult journey he has been on. To see him perform as well, at the level he was on in the minutes he was given. We're all really happy with that as well.
"Big credit to him, and big credit to the medical staff as well, because it was a very long period, very difficult. He has had some tough moments in his career, but it just shows you how much he loves to play the game, and how much we love him."
Finally, the boss touched on a memorable night for teenage defender Salmon, who replaced Ben White to play the final seven minutes for a first-team bow.
"Incredible. I'm very happy for him, he's a player we consider for the future. He trains with us almost every day now, he was given the opportunity, and he performed well."
Read more Report: Club Brugge 0-3 Arsenal
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