Mikel Arteta spoke to the media following the conclusion of Arsenal's 1-0 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford. The Gunners took all three points back to the capital with them thanks to a headed attempt from Riccardo Calafiori.
Despite the victory, Arsenal were certainly not at their very best, looking more shaky than usual in defence and conceding chances to their opponents who simply did not take them.
Arteta appeared pleased with his team's performance in the season opener, stating that when his side made mistakes, they responded to them in the correct manner.
"The defence was phenomenal" - Arteta assesses the Arsenal performance
Speaking after the game, Mikel Arteta acknowledged the magnitude of this victory, given the atmosphere at Old Trafford, as highly anticipated summer signings made their competitive debut for the Red Devils.
"Massive win. To go in the first fixture at Old Trafford with that atmosphere, the way they are building momentum, with new signings and excitement around it, it's a great feeling, and then we have to be really humble about the way we did it.
Arteta did recognise that his team were not the sharpest they have been, and did make errors. But, the Spaniard expressed his satisfaction with how his team managed the errors.
"And we did it one because of the way we reacted to mistakes. Two unfortunate mistakes and mistakes that are very far from the standards that we normally have, and we constantly reacted to that. And that's the reason why we had opportunity to win again.
"You're talking about character and spirit, that's it. I can make a mistake. How do I react to that? In open spaces, we should have killed them.
Defence has always been such a strong part of Arsenal's game, and this was no different against Manchester United, something that Mikel Arteta highlighted.
"The way everybody tried, the defence was phenomenal."
"Games are won in both boxes"
The Gunners once again claimed victory thanks to a smart set-piece routine. This was a new set-piece routine that had not been utilised previously and may have caught United out.
After the match, Arteta emphasised the importance of keeping these routines fresh, to avoid opponents figuring them out:
"We have changed. We don't want to make it predictable for the opposition and games are won in both boxes."
The Spaniard also commended the attitude of his team, who he said "want more". This is a mentality that will be needed by the squad if they want to achieve their dream of lifting the Premier League title.
"I just look at the players' faces and they want much more, and we know that we are much better than in certain moments. I think before I came here, it was 18 or 22 years without winning at Old Trafford, and now we come here, we won many times, and are still unsatisfied.
"And I take that as a massive compliment, and as a way to build what we want to build."