Mikel Arteta spoke to the media after his side continued their perfect start to the season with a convincing 5-0 victory over Leeds United at the Emirates Stadium. The Gunners ran riot in the second half, with 4 of their goals coming in this period of time.
There were so many positive aspects of this game for Arsenal fans to be pleased about, with a performance like this set to encourage fans of the London outfit ahead of their tough test against Liverpool in gameweek 3.
"It's exactly how we wanted to start" - Arteta reviews his side's performance
The Gunners could not have asked for much of a better first home performance of the season. Arteta's men were superb from start to finish and were certainly deserving of the result they got - a point that was even stated by Leeds' manager, Daniel Farke.
Arteta stated how pleased he was with his side's performance after the match, highlighting all the positives that came in the ninety minutes:
"It's exactly how we wanted to start the first game, we won in a really convincing way. You could sense something, especially in the atmosphere before the match. I think we have to be very proud of the way we played, the way we dominated the game, not conceding any shots almost, and the clean sheet."
"On top of that, a lot of good moments. Viktor scoring his first two goals for the club, I'm thrilled and delighted for Jurrien after that long time after injuring his ankle and the hours that he's put in with all the physios and the medical department to score two goals at Emirates Stadium, very special"
"Mosquera making his debut as well for the club, and then one of the highlights, without any question of a doubt, Max coming in at 15 and making his debut and winning a penalty. So very proud."
As mentioned by Arsenal's manager, Gyökeres' scoring his first two goals for was a big moment for the Gunners, who have so often been without a clinical number nine. Arteta feels that the team need to help put Gyökeres in dangerous positions to strike, adapting to how he plays:
"It's clear where Viktor is really dangerous, but he's a superpower and let's put him as much as possible in those kinds of scenarios because something good will happen."
"The negatives of the day" - Arteta speaks on Saka and Ødegaard's injuries.
The only concerns of the day for Arsenal came away from their performance, as both Bukayo Saka and Martin Ødegaard were forced to leave the pitch. This will obviously be a worry for both Arteta and the Arsenal fans, who will be hoping these knocks are not serious ones:
"That's the negatives of the day. Martin felt something in his shoulder when he landed. We don't know, we'll have to scan him tomorrow and understand a bit better. And Bukayo, while he was carrying the ball, wrestling with the defender, he felt something in his hamstring."
"Let's see, I think it's the other one, it's not the same one as the previous injury. We've been two weeks and we've already lost Kai, Martin and Bukayo, so it tells you how well-equipped you have to be in this league to manage and to maintain the level that we want."
If these injuries are set to be long-term ones, the signing of Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace will help the Gunners bolster their attack. The signing came completely out of the blue after it appeared Arsenal's North London rivals, Tottenham Hotspur, had secured his signing.
After the match, Arteta expressed how pleased he was that Eze was an Arsenal player:
"So, delighted to have him. The talent is unquestionable, he's done it in this league. The personality, unbelievable. I've been very, not surprised, but I would say gladly witnessing everything that he's about and his family as well."
"So they have the right feelings for this club and you can tell that what happened to him on that pitch means the world to him."