Mikel Arteta described Arsenal’s hard-fought 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace as their most valuable of the season, praising his players’ resilience amid a relentless fixture schedule.
“Fully agree, I value more this victory than any other this season,” Arteta said, reflecting on the team’s performance following their midweek Champions League win over Atletico Madrid. “Coming from playing every three days, against one of the best teams, you can lose concentration and they can punish you. It was a massive win.”
The crucial goal came from Eberechi Eze, who scored a stunning set-piece against his former club, a goal that increased Arsenal’s lead at the top of the Premier League to four points. However, Arteta was cautious not to get ahead of himself, urging his side to stay focused. “It’s very early, we’re still in October,” he remarked. “There are a lot of things to get better, and we need to recover for Wednesday’s match.”
Despite Arsenal’s growing lead, Arteta remained pragmatic, especially with Manchester City and Liverpool both suffering losses over the weekend. “It shows you how hard this league is,” Arteta said, emphasizing that the players were not distracted by results elsewhere.
The match-winner, Eze, was calm and composed, and his manager was full of praise. “He was super relaxed before the game, with such a strong feeling of gratitude,” Arteta said. “The technique on that goal was unbelievable. We needed something special against a team so well organized.”
Arsenal’s improvement in set-piece situations has been evident, with the team now having scored a league-high 11 goals from dead-ball situations this season. “We’ve implemented more efficient methods,” Arteta explained. “We need to find ways to score in different ways, and this was a perfect example.”
With this win, Arsenal extended their impressive consistency at the top of the league, but Arteta knows the journey is far from over.
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