Arsenal.com

After playing a starring role in his first-ever north London derby, Myles Lewis-Skelly admitted that he couldn’t wipe the smile from his face after tasting victory over Tottenham Hotspur.

The 18-year-old was a contender for man of the match in our 2-1 win, flying into challenges, winning the ball regularly, charging upfield to start attacks and not backing down when Spurs tried to intimidate him as they pressed for an equaliser.

What made his performance even more impressive was that Myles became the second-youngest Arsenal player to feature in a Premier League NLD, behind only Cesc Fabregas. Having come through our youth academy from the age of eight, he admitted he knew the significance of the game and was delighted to deliver when it mattered most to make his fellow supporters happy.

“I’m feeling every emotion possible; I’m on cloud nine!” he expressed post-match. “I was a kid watching the derbies and know how much it means to the fans, it’s everything. To experience it today, I can’t stop smiling.

“This game means more. I prepare the same, but it’s the feeling going into the game with the fans. You’ve got to give it everything and more.

“I’m happy I helped the team. The most important thing was getting the three points, building momentum and I’m happy with how I played.”

After suffering the setback of going behind, two goals in the space of four minutes just before half-time turned the game on its head, and set the platform to extend our unbeaten home run over Spurs which is now 14 years and counting.

We came from a goal behind to beat Tottenham Hotspur to string together three straight north London derby wins in a row for the first time since 1989, and more importantly close the gap on Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table.

Spurs threatened to claim their first win on our turf in 14 years when son Heung-min out them ahead against the run of play on 25 minutes, but we battled back and netted twice in four minutes just before the interval through a Dominic Solanke own goal and a Leandro Trossard strike.

We dominated our neighbours for the majority of the game including virtually all of the second half, but without netting a killer third goal we had to grind out the win, but it arrived to move us back into second place, and now only four points off the league leaders.

An early setback - somehow

Mikel Arteta had called for a cauldron-like atmosphere inside Emirates Stadium and he got just that during the opening stages, and pushed along by the swarths of support, we dominated the early stages.

Spurs headed into the game with one win in their last eight matches, and it showed in the fist 20 minutes. They completed just four passes in our half during that period, and indeed their keeper Antonin Kinsky had the most touches for his side, but we couldn’t turn that pressure into a goal.

Trossard came closest when he saw a goalbound shot cannon off the back of a defender after a corner wasn’t cleared, and Kinsky twice had the ball nicked from by Kai Havertz but both times possession somehow stayed with Ange Postecoglu’s side.

But after surviving the opening stages, Spurs suddenly built up a head of steam. A fine challenge from Gabriel prevented Son from converting a Djed Spence centre, and from the resulting corner David Raya made a good block to thwart Dejan Kulusevski.

However another set-piece on 24 minutes would be our undoing. A short corner was sent into a congested area by Pedro Porro, and after it was cleared to the edge of the area, Son was lurking and sent a shot back through the bodies, and aided by a deflection found the net for the eighth time in the derby.

Swift turnaround

The game became more of an even contest after that, but we kept probing and a stroke of luck saw us get level. On 38 minutes Trossard and Porro challenged for the ball on the byline and despite the ball flicking off the Belgian, we were awarded the corner - and we made the most of it.

Declan Rice swung it towards the back post where Gabriel had powered his way towards, and he got a touch on the ball which deflected off Dominic Solanke and spun into the net to get us back level and raise the decibel level in north London once again.

And it reached a crescendo four minutes later when we turned the game on its head by snatching the lead. A strong challenge by Thomas Partey won the ball on the halfway line and he found Martin Odegaard, who played a delightful pass into the galloping Trossard’s path. He took two touches to get it to the edge of the box, and drilled it low and hard past Kinsky to send the derby spinning in the opposite direction.

With the stadium bouncing and the wind in our sails, we didn’t want half-time to come, but even though we were forced to head into the changing rooms, we came back out displaying the same vigour.

Getting over the line

Havertz went close to sending another corner into the net when he nodded an Odegaard delivery just wide, and then the German headed straight at Kimsky when picked out in space by Partey.

One player enjoying his first taste of the derby was Lewis Myles-Skelly. Despite being the second-youngest Gunner to start in a Premier League north London derby, he looked assured in defence, regularly scrapping away to win possession for his side and then confidently striding forward with the ball to start attacks.

And they kept coming for the hosts but we would be denied by Kimsky twice in quick succession on 72 minutes. Rice fizzed one at him which struck him in the chest, before Odegaard swiftly followed up with a low effort which was saved by the Czech keeper.

Our skipper again went close with six minutes to go when Kieran Tierney threaded a pass to him inside the box but he screwed it wide of the mark, but with the lead intact it was just about grinding it out.

Like most of the second 45, Spurs offered little threat but in the final minute of stoppage time, Porro wrapped a shot from a tight angle off the outside the post, but we saw out the final few seconds to stretch our unbeaten league run to 11, record our fifth Premier League double over Spurs and clinch the derby day bragging rights - again.

What's next

Our run of home matches continues as Aston Villa head to N5 on Saturday for a 5.30pm kick-off, and then the Champions League returns in a week's time when Dinamo Zagreb arrive on matchday seven of the competition. We follow that up with a trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday, January 25.

Before every game at Emirates Stadium, Martin Odegaard lifts the lid on the mood in the camp via his captain’s notes published in the matchday programme.

Ahead of tonight's north London derby against Tottenham, the skipper reflects on our FA Cup exit last time out, Tottenham's season so far and the need to stay united with so much still at stake over the next few months:

We were all hurting after Sunday's defeat, but as soon as we came into training on Monday morning we were determined to get going again straight away.

Having a massive game like the derby tonight is a great way to get everyone completely focused again and looking forward. We know how much this game means to all of you – our supporters – but also to the players and everyone at the club. That’s the good thing about having a big game so soon after a disappointment.

It was really tough to take on Sunday – it was very frustrating for everyone. On the pitch I had the feeling that we dominated the game from the first half until the end. We could have been sharper in front of goal and also in the last pass and the final shot. But to lose that game at home when we dominated everything, it’s a tough one to take.

And of course I have to take responsibility for the penalty. I should have scored – that’s not good enough from me. It was a crucial moment of the game as well because I think if I scored that, we probably go on to win the game. I felt like I’d let the team down, so it was important for me to step up again in the shoot-out, and I wanted to go first like usual. It was good that one went in, but in the end it wasn’t enough, so I still feel that responsibility to the team.

We have to keep on going though, and know we will get rewarded if we keep dominating games like that. In a single game of course it can happen that you don’t win, but in the long run it will pay off. We need to be sharper in the key moments to make sure we get the results we’ve worked for. We have to keep going and keep improving. There is no choice for us now. We have to be at our best back in the Premier League tonight.

Tottenham have been a bit inconsistent this season with their results, but we know their top level is very high. They can beat anybody, and we have seen them do that already this season. They are a good team who like to play good football, but it's down to us to use our strengths to get the result we want.

We have a lot to play for this season. We lost the chance at one trophy at the weekend but there are more challenges ahead for us, so we have to stick together, keep working hard, keep helping each other and keep supporting each other.

We’re just looking at the next game – that’s what matters now – and we’d love to feel that energy and noise from you all inside the stadium again tonight. Let’s make it a great Emirates Stadium night.

With the north London derby on the horizon this weekend, we're challenging our Gooners to see if they can remember all our goalscorers in the fixtures between the sides at Emirates Stadium by taking part in our quiz!

We have netted 52 times in the 22 clashes against our arch-rivals in all competitions since we moved into our current home in 2006 including three own goals, but how many of the 30 different Gunners players who got on the scoresheet can you recall?

You've got seven minutes to type in as many answers as you can, and why not challenge your mates to see if you've got the best memory going into derby day?

The north London derby returns to N5 for the first time since September 2023 on Wednesday (8pm UK), as we look to continue our dominance of the fixture.

We haven’t tasted defeat at home to Tottenham in over 14 years, and have lost just one of the last 31 league encounters in N5. September’s success at Spurs means we could string together a run of three-straight league wins over our neighbours for the first time since 1989, but while history is important, Mikel Arteta’s current side are building some impressive numbers of their own.

We boast the second-longest unbeaten run in the Premier League which now sits at 10 matches, and are the only team in the division yet to lose at home this term. After Sunday’s FA Cup exit, extending those runs thanks to victory over our biggest rivals would be just the tonic to keep our championship challenge alive.

Tottenham’s torrid time

Spurs head into this game with one win in their last eight matches, which has seen them slide from sixth to 12th position during a bleak December. That solitary recent success came at rock-bottom Southampton, and since the start of last month, only Leicester City and the Saints have earned fewer points than Spurs’ five.

When they get things right, they can record big scorelines. Their most eye-catching result of the campaign saw them wallop Manchester City 4-0 at the Etihad, while Aston Villa and Manchester United were beaten by three-goal margins. A massive injury crisis has led to a mix-and-match defence at times, which Liverpool, Chelsea and United punished heavily last month, scoring 14 times between them.

They haven’t won at home in the league since November 3, and have only strung consecutive Premier League wins together once all term, which came back in September. But the up-and-down nature of their season appeared in a nutshell last week, beating Liverpool to take a 1-0 lead in the League Cup semi-final first leg, before requiring extra-time to knock out non-league Tamworth in the FA Cup third round.

What the managers say

Arteta: “It’s probably the nicest game of the season to watch because of the atmosphere, because of what it means to our people, and everybody involved in the game. This is something that is in our hands.

“Let’s create the best atmosphere that we have played at the Emirates, that’s our objective. That's something that we control, the players, the staff, and everybody that turns up tomorrow. This is something that we can do, so let's do it.”

Postecoglu: “I felt [the derby] was intense from the moment I arrived but at the same time I've never tried to be disingenuous about this stuff and say 'this means the world to me' when I've literally just arrived. But you get the context of the game and what it means to the club and supporters and what it means for our season.

“It's like being up in Glasgow, you're well aware of what it means and the ramifications of both the positive and negative. I've been on it for the first game. This year is as big as they ever come, especially for us and our season. We have to start winning games in the league and this is no better place to start.”

Team news

Mikel Arteta will make a late call on the fitness of Riccardo Calafiori who missed Sunday’s cup tie with a short-term issue, but Gabriel Jesus is out long-term after being stretchered off against Manchester United there days ago.

As has been the case for the past few matches, Bukayo Saka, Ben White, Ethan Nwaneri and Takehiro Tomiyasu are all still unavailable.

It’s a case of one in, one out for Postecoglu as he welcomes back Richarlison who has been out of action since November with a hamstring injury, but that same ailment has ruled Timo Werner out for the foreseeable future.

Hamstrings have been a huge problem at Spurs all campaign, with defenders Ben Davies, Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie all out with the same issue, as is winger Wilson Odobert. Their backline is further depleted with Rodrigo Bentancur (concussion) and goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario (fractured ankle) also missing.

Talking tactics

Adrian Clarke, writing in the official matchday programme: In September’s derby, Postecoglou went with a 4-3-3, using James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski either side of a single holding midfielder. He tweaked it for the 4-0 triumph at Manchester City, stationing two orthodox midfielders in the engine room alongside Maddison, pushing Kulusevski to a right-wing berth. If Spurs go back to that blueprint, their tactics will focus less on possession, and more on aggressive duel winning, quick transitions, and counters.

Pressing forms a key part of Tottenham’s high-octane style. No top-flight team makes more pressures inside the final third, and they are second only to Bournemouth when it comes to turning over possession in that domain. When we play out from the back they will hunt in packs, looking to win the ball inside our own half.

Going forward, Tottenham use the wings well. The two wide forwards are given plenty of service, supported by the wide central midfielders and full-backs. Spurs are good at creating overloads down the flanks, and scoring is not a problem as they rank inside the division’s top five for shots, shots on target and expected goals.

Their risky style has been undone in recent weeks though. If opponents can play through Spurs, they isolate a depleted back four that holds a really high line. In possession, Postecoglou’s players must be comfortable receiving passes in tight areas. From short goal kicks we are likely to press hard in a bid to force errors.

Facts and stats

We have won six of our last eight Premier League games against Spurs, and following our 1-0 win in September, we are looking to complete the Premier League double over Tottenham for the fifth time. Only in 2013/14 have we done so without conceding in the competition.

Tottenham have conceded at least once in each of their last 25 Premier League away games against us, since a 0-0 draw in 1998/99. In their league history, only at Bolton have they had a longer run without an away clean sheet (35 between 1923 and 2012).

Tottenham have won just three of their last 19 away London derbies in the Premier League, going winless in their last four. Meanwhile, we are unbeaten in our last 11.

We’ve kept a clean sheet in each of our last four home league games, last recording five consecutive shutouts at Emirates Stadium between December 2013 and February 2014.

We have conceded 28% of our Premier League goals in the opening 15 minutes of games this season (5/18). Meanwhile, Tottenham have scored more goals in this time period than any other side (11).

Each of Kai Havertz’s last 11 Premier League goals have been scored in London. The last Arsenal player to have a longer such run was Lukas Podolski (12 between December 2012 and April 2014.

Son Heung-Min has either scored (7) or assisted (2) nine of Tottenham’s last 14 Premier League goals against us, netting a brace in this exact fixture last term.

Match officials

For the third time this season, Simon Hooper will referee one of our games, having overseen the 3-0 win against Nottingham Forest in November, followed by our 5-1 triumph at Crystal Palace a month later. We have won seven of the nine games he has overseen, including each of the last four.

His only Spurs match this term came last month when they were beaten by Bournemouth. He has issued 56 yellow cards in 12 Premier League games this season, dismissing two players and awarding just one penalty.

Referee: Simon Hooper

Assistants: Adrian Holmes, Simon Long

Fourth official: Tim Robinson

VAR: Peter Bankes

Assistant VAR: Tim Wood

Recent home derbies

We are looking to extend our unbeaten home run in the derby to 14 matches on Wednesday, but Spurs did manage to snap our four-match winning streak last season when they twice pegged us back thanks to a Son-Heung min brace, after a Christian Romero own goal and a Saka penalty had put us ahead.

Before then came a pair of 3-1 wins - in September 2022 goals from Thomas Partey, Gabriel Jesus and Granit Xhaka saw us end Spurs’ unbeaten start, while a year previous Emile Smith Rowe, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Saka got on the scoresheet against Nuno Espirito Santo’s side.

The campaign before that, a first Gunners goal for Martin Odegaard plus an Alexandre Lacazette strike helped complete a 2-1 comeback win and deny Spurs a first win at Emirates Stadium since November 2010.

Live coverage

To get your derby day buzz going, tune into Live From N5, where Nicole Holliday and Ezra Collective's Femi Koleoso will be pitchside an hour before kick-off to give you a flavour of the big game!

They'll be joined by our defender Leah Williamson to chat north London derby memories, as well as singer-songwriter Myles Smith who will give their take on the big game.

Frimmy will be out and about the stadium with our Question of the Day, while all the tactical insight will come from Adrian Clarke before he joins Dan Roebuck for live commentary.

Further to being substituted during our match with Manchester United on Sunday, Gabriel Jesus has received extensive assessments, scans and specialist reviews which have confirmed that he has sustained an injury to the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.

Gabby will undergo surgery in the coming days and will soon begin his recovery and rehabilitation programme.

We will continue to keep everyone updated with Gabby’s recovery, with everyone at the club fully focused on supporting Gabby to ensure he is back to full fitness as soon as possible.

It's a game all Gooners have had circled on their calendars since the fixture list was announced last summer, and you can see our players preparing for our home north London derby against Tottenham Hotspur in our gallery.

The squad have been back at the Sobha Realty Training Centre this week developing their gameplan for the visit of our neighbours on Wednesday night, as we aim to beat Spurs for the second time this campaign and complete a league double over our rivals.

Club photographer Stuart MacFarlane was at the training ground to capture the mood in the camp going into derby day, and you can see his best shots from the latest session in our gallery below:

Nothing stirs a Gooner’s emotions more than a visit from Tottenham Hotspur, with victories over our arch-rivals going down as some of our supporters’ most memorable moments following the club.

There have been plenty to choose from down the years, and to get you excited ahead of the latest north London derby at Emirates Stadium, we have selected five of the best from the last four decades.

Sit back and enjoy these successes over Spurs:

November 24, 1996

Arsenal 3-1 Tottenham

In just his sixth game in charge, Arsene Wenger quickly discovered the passion and fever around derby day. Spurs arrived having won six of their last seven, while we were on a run of one victory in six, but we turned the form book upside down. Ian Wright handed us a 28th-minute lead from the penalty spot but Andy Sinton equalised with a bobbling long-range effort just before the hour mark.

A disappointing draw looked on the cards until the 88th minute when Tony Adams slammed us back into the lead, and better was to come when Dennis Bergkamp brilliantly controlled a Wright cross, escaped the attentions of Stephen Carr and set himself perfectly to fire past Ian Walker to secure a first win over our rivals in nearly five years, and score one of the fixture’s greatest goals.

November 16, 2002

Arsenal 3-0 Tottenham

However, perhaps the best-ever goal scored in the north London derby arrived six years later when Thierry Henry single-handedly sliced his way through the Spurs side to produce a moment worth immortalising in bronze outside Emirates Stadium years later.

Just 13 minutes in, there seemed little danger when the Frenchman picked the ball up midway inside his own half, but he surged past Matthew Etherington and Carr to reach the edge of the Tottenham area, and fired into the net before performing a famous knee slide in front of the travelling support. Further strikes from Freddie Ljungberg and Sylvain Wiltord sealed a comfortable win, but Henry’s brilliance was the abiding memory.

February 26, 2012

Arsenal 5-2 Tottenham

Goals are never in short supply in north London derbies, and this particular encounter was packed full of them. It looked as though our neighbours were on course to record successive wins at our home for the first time in 86 years when Louis Saha and ex-Gunner Emmanuel Adebayor netted, but we would come roaring back when Bacary Sagna headed in a Mikel Arteta cross before a superb strike from Robin van Persie levelled matters before half-time.

Our momentum carried on into the second half when Tomas Rosicky edged us ahead six minutes after the restart, and then Theo Walcott would stamp his authority on the game by racing through to score twice in three minutes to stun our opponents and complete a fine victory.

November 17, 2012

Arsenal 5-2 Tottenham

Incredibly, the same unusual scoreline was recorded at the same venue just nine months later as we again managed to recover from falling behind to net five times. Things weren’t going to plan when Adebayor haunted us again, but his 17th-minute dismissal proved pivotal as a Per Mertesacker header, Lukas Podolski’s scuffed shot and an Olivier Giroud finish handed us a healthy lead before half-time.

A goal from the scintillating Santi Cazorla seemed to have secured the points on the hour, but Gareth Bale restored Tottenham’s toe-hold shortly afterwards. However the final word was left to Walcott again who restored our three-goal cushion in stoppage-time to ensure history repeated itself.

October 1, 2022

Arsenal 3-1 Tottenham

Spurs headed to Emirates Stadium looking to leapfrog us into top spot in the Premier League, but a fine display from Arteta’s team ensured we instead strengthened our lead. Thomas Partey’s wonderful strike from distance set us on our way, but a Harry Kane penalty meant the sides went in all-square at the break.

However a poacher’s effort from Gabriel Jesus restored our lead four minutes into the second half, and Emerson Royal’s red card saw things turn in our favour even more. Needing one more goal to clinch the points, Granit Xhaka drove in a third to secure a third straight home victory in this fixture for the first time since 2013.

Ahead of the visit of Tottenham Hotspur for the north London derby on Wednesday, Mikel has challenged everyone on and off the field to make it a night to remember by creating the best-ever atmosphere generated at Emirates Stadium.

N5 has been an area of north London that Spurs haven’t enjoyed visiting for decades, having won just one of their last 31 Premier League visits and are winless in the last 13.

A huge part of that has been the fever whipped up by the home crowd, keen to ensure that proud record remains intact and allows them to keep enjoying the bragging rights. And with us looking to complete a league double over Tottenham for the fifth time in the Premier League era, Mikel wants to raise that bar even more as he looks for new levels of support.

“It’s probably the nicest game of the season to watch because of the atmosphere, because of what it means to our people, what it means to us and everybody involved in the game. This is something that is in our hands,” he said in his pre-match press conference.

“Let’s create the best atmosphere that we have played at the Emirates, that’s our objective. That's something that we control, the players, the staff, and everybody that turns up tomorrow. This is something that we can do, so let's do it.”

A derby day under the lights on our own turf will be a new experience for many of our squad, especially some of the youngsters who could be involved after breaking through this campaign, plus some of the newer recruits.

When asked if he needed to educate them on the rivalry, the passion and what it means to all Gooners, the boss revealed that the buzz around the Sobha Realty Training Centre indicates that everyone is well aware of this fixture’s history and importance, especially as we aim to get back to winning ways after a difficult week.

“We spoke with Ethan [Nwaneri] and Myles [Lewis-Skelly], as well as all players and a lot of the staff,” he added. “You can feel it straight away when you are in the building that the big one is coming up and that excitement is around the building. They can feel it and they know about it.

“This is a more challenging period that we’ve had, especially as we’ve lost very important players in crucial moments, but things happen for a reason in this life. We have to adapt, and with everything that has happened, look how the team performed. OK, we didn’t win the other day, but if you have to go out of a competition, let’s go out like this when you have been infinitely better than the opposition.

“On Wednesday we have another one. It’s probably the best time to play, because we know what that game means for all of us. So, let's face it, the circumstances are where they are, let's embrace them and let's get the best out of that.”

Mikel Arteta was back behind the press conference desk at the Sobha Realty Training Centre the day before we face Tottenham Hotspur to give his thoughts on our home north London derby day.

He was asked to give an update about injuries following the defeat to Manchester United, how they affect transfer plans, his thoughts on Ange Postecoglu and much more.

Here is everything he said to journalists in attendance:

on the latest on Gabriel Jesus’ injury:

We know more now and it's not looking at all. We need to review with one more specialist, so we will probably have better information this afternoon.

on whether it’s an ACL injury:

I don’t want to confirm anything until we’ve had the final report this afternoon. It’s the doctor’s job to do that, but we were very worried straight away after the game and we are very worried today.

on whether it could be a season-ending injury:

Let’s wait until the tests.

on whether any other players could be available:

We have one more training session and there are a few that could be close. But again, this afternoon we’ll have the full info on the squad, who is available and who is not.

on whether Riccardo Calafiori could be fit:

His thing is not much, but again, we need another day or two. We’ve been playing every three days and 24 hours becomes really important because they are not long-term injuries, in that case for example. We will have more understanding this afternoon.

on if Jorginho is OK:

He was cramping when we were playing extra-time, Jurrien [Timber] was exactly the same, so we had a few players struggling to finish the game. He’s fine.

on if Jesus’ injury changes our transfer plans:

My answer doesn't change, it remains the same - we are actively looking in the market to improve the squad, and that’s been the same since day one. It would be naive not to do that because it is always an opportunity to evolve the team and improve the squad, especially with the circumstances. So yes, we are looking and we are trying and let's see what we are able to do.

on transfers not being in our hands:

When you have to recruit a player, there are three parties and you have to agree to that. We have our limitations like any other club, so we can do what we can do. We plan our squad and we have our limits to do what we want to do, and that's it. So the fact that I love our players a lot doesn’t mean we’re doing nothing about improving - I am not that stubborn. We all want the same, so we use every opportunity to improve the squad daily, and when the market comes in and we can do that too, we’ll make sure that we have the best resources and the best capacities to compete in the manner we want.

on the derby:

It’s probably the nicest game of the season to watch because of the atmosphere, because of what it means to our people, what it means to us and everybody involved in the game. This is something that is in our hands, for example. Let’s create the best atmosphere that we have played at the Emirates, that’s our objective. That's something that we control, the players, the staff, and everybody that turns up tomorrow. This is something that we can do, so let's do it.

on the social media abuse directed at our players:

It’s incredible, and we really have to do something about it because accepting that and hiding this I think has terrible consequences. It's something that we really have to eradicate from the game because it’s so simple and so dependent on the result of an action, and there is no other industry like this. On December 27 at home, we won 1-0 and Kai Havertz scored a goal and the whole stadium sang the waka waka song. That was 20 days ago. Where is the perspective?

We are all responsible, and all means you guys [the media], everybody is responsible for the narrative, everyone is responsible for how we talk. and we cannot look somewhere else. That's a really serious matter, and it affects him, it affects me, it affects everybody in the industry in a way. We can accept it and say that it's our job, yes, but there are certain limits and the line has to drawn. We put a lot of attention on technology and what is next, what is next in football, the next in football might be that this is prohibited. It cannot happen - that's it.

on whether this is toughest period with injuries as our boss:

This is a more challenging period that we’ve had, especially as we’ve lost very important players in crucial moments, but I don't know, things happen for a reason in this life. We have to adapt, and with everything that has happened, look how the team performs. OK, we didn’t win the other day, but if you have to go out of a competition, let’s go out like this when you have been infinitely better than the opposition, and on Wednesday we have another one. It’s probably the best time to play, because we know what that game means for all of us. So, let's face it, the circumstances are where they are, let's embrace them and let's get the best out of that because even with all that, look how the team plays.

on if his respect for Ange Postecoglu has grown within his injury crisis:

That's our job, it's very difficult to predict that those things are going to happen, but how we react, it’s something that is in our hands. You can be sorry for yourself and start to find excuses or face it. Ange has done that and last year they had some difficulties as well, and he dealt with it in the same way, so I really respect that.