There was plenty of reason for Mikel Arteta to celebrate after our crushing north London derby victory over Tottenham on Sunday.
Eberechi Eze scored the first ever Premier League hat-trick in this fixture, and Leandro Trossard was also on target, and the manager was asked about both players in his post-match press conference.
He was also asked about the performance, being top of the table, Mikel Merino and more. Here's a full transcript...
On a day to remember in N5:
Well, a great day.I enjoyed every minute of it, from the preparation, since the moment that the players came back from international duty. I sensed a feeling that they wanted to be together again, that they were ready for a fight, they were ready for a big week, and the preparation was top. Then you have to deliver it, obviously, with the energy that our people brought to the stadium. It made a huge difference. I think individually the players were exceptional from minute one. They were super dominant in almost every phase of the play. So, yeah, a day to remember. You don't win a derby 4-1 every time, and hopefully we made a lot of Arsenal supporters very proud and happy.
On Eze owning the occasion:
Things happen for a reason. And after the international duty, he had two days off, and after one day he wanted to train. And he wanted to improve, and he wanted to do extra practice. And he was asking me questions about this and that. And when a player has such a talent, and his desire is at that level, then these things happen. And he fully deserves it. I'm so happy for him because it's the day that he came, he brought something else to the team. It's a joy, it's an aura that this team needed, and hopefully it will give him a lot of confidence in him and the team, that at any moment he can win us a game. And that's the ability that he has, and he certainly needs to fulfil that talent.
On Trossard’s performance today:
Yeah, for me, no, because for me it was forbidden for him to leave. No chance. I know the player that he is, and surrounded with the players that we have, he's a player that is going to make a difference for us. I fully agree, it was one of the best games, so aggressive with and without the ball, so effective, he could have scored another one or two goals, and he was involved in so many positive actions. So that's what we need. As I said, I think individually, the players were excellent today.
On Eze taking his chances:
Yeah, and it doesn't have to be perfect. It can be right, left, ball on the ground, bouncing ball at this height, and he takes it. And he has such a quality and capacity to finish actions in different ways that we need to play him very close to the box, because apart from that, obviously, for example, the ball that he put to Declan in the second minute, I think it was, to play him through and create that big chance is exceptional. We need to play him in his qualities. The more he spends time there, the better for the team.
On Eze’s desire to achieve more and more in his career:
Well, that's what he showed from the beginning. And when he picked up the phone, I remember last summer, and he said he wanted to play for us and he wanted to be part of this team. You can really sense that. And hopefully he can enjoy today, and tomorrow he's ready for Bayern Munich.
On the importance to our mentality after a huge result:
Yeah, and especially after the Sunderland game, at the end we lost two points in the last kick of the game, basically. And we went to the international break with that bitter feeling because we didn't concede any goals and we had 10 straight wins, and we wanted to get back to earning that momentum again and the London derby and today's performance. It's a good start.
On our lead at the top of the table:
In this league, not much. We are doing really well, we've been really consistent, and that's it. I mean, when you look at the results, whether they win or lose, the difference in the scoreline and actually what happens in games is really small. We know that. We need players back immediately today. We've got Noni back on the pitch, which is great, but we're still missing a lot, a lot of important players, and we're going to need all of them. The good news is we lost big Gabi, which is a massive blow, and Piero [Hincapie] comes in, and I think he was fantastic from the beginning.
On what he’s most satisfied with in the squad:
Well, I don't know. From looking at our team, it's the application, it's the energy, it's the desire to be the best version of themselves every single day. That's what I sense. Sometimes we are better, and sometimes not that good, but the willingness and the desire to win and be there, it's without a question for me the biggest attribute for this team.
On Merino’s performance today:
Yes, I think he was incredible again, and we are asking him to feel as a nine, and he's not a nine, and to do a lot of the things that a nine has to do. But he's such an intelligent player, and his work ethic and his desire to contribute and make others better is that big. And again, those performances give you all the right reason to continue to trust him.