Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta has praised his side for shrugging off their congested fixture schedule to beat Everton – and believes the players met his tactical demands for large periods of the game.
The Gunners came from a goal down to take all three points against the Toffees in a five-goal thriller at the Emirates Stadium to cap an impressive week, with three victories in the space of seven days.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin opened the scoring after just 51 seconds with an acrobatic strike before Eddie Nketiah and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang put the hosts in front.
Richarlison equalised on the stroke of half time but Aubameyang’s 17th Premier League goal of the season was enough to clinch victory, although the visitors pushed hard for an equaliser late on.
After watching his side go from beating Olympiacos in Greece to north London in less than 72 hours, Arteta says he was pleased with how his side implemented his style of play.
“The best thing is the spirit we showed after coming back from Europe,” he told Sky Sports.
“We had three games in seven days, and coming back after we went behind. The resilience they showed after they were absolutely knackered… they just kept going and going.
“The way we played for 65 minutes was how I want us to play. Winning three games in seven games? For sure it is my best week.”
The hosts, now on a 10-game unbeaten run in 2020, came under heavy pressure late on and Arteta reserved praise for Bernd Leno, who made a string of important stops to keep out Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison.
“Leno was really good,” he added.
“In the right moments he saved us and I’m really pleased with him.”