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Mikel Arteta praised his players’ ability to produce moments of magic after Arsenal beat Everton 4-0 to move five points clear of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table.
The Gunners endured a frustrating first 40 minutes against Sean Dyche’s side, but Bukayo Saka’s brilliant opener, following Oleksandr Zinchenko’s incisive pass just before half-time, sealed the win.
Gabriel Martinelli added a second in first-half stoppage time when VAR ruled him out after he was initially flagged for offside, with Martin Odegaard scoring a third in the second half before the Brazilian added a second to complete victory.
“I’m very happy,” Arteta said afterwards. “This is a game we are playing against an opponent who we know will make life very difficult for us. We experienced it at Goodison.
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FREE to watch: Highlights from the Premier League match between Arsenal and Everton
“We started the game frustrated, we didn’t know what we had to do, we allowed them to run in certain transitions, but after 20 or 25 minutes, I think we started to improve and I think the timing for the first two goals was the key.
“We need a magic moment there and Alex [Zinchenko] and ‘B’ [Bukayo Saka] produced it. Then the team grew, especially with Thomas [Partey]because Jorgi is not feeling well today.
“When he came on, he really gave some presence and stability to the team, and I thought the second half was really good.”
Asked again about Saka’s opening goal, Arteta added: “In the end, you have to create that magical moment and take that initiative and have that mentality, ‘I’m going to do it on the pitch. I’m not going to wait. for someone else to do it.’
“If you have some players who have the will and the capacity to do it, you have a better chance of winning more games.”
Gabriel Martinelli celebrates after scoring his second, and Arsenal’s fourth, on Wednesday night
Goals from Saka and Martinelli made him the second-highest figure in the Premier League this season, with the manager praising his appetite to learn and improve.
“Credit to them, because in the end they have to do it themselves, but we try to help them with the way they play to get to that position,” he said.
“They want to learn. They ask for more every day. They don’t have enough information. They want more, about defenders, places, training.
“At the end of the day, if you have it, and you have the talent and the ideas that you have, good things will happen.”
Arsenal have now won three games in a row following a three-game winless run that temporarily allowed Manchester City to move ahead at the top of the table, but Arteta insisted he never doubted his players’ ability to bounce back.
“If you see them every day and you just feel what they want, and how much they want to produce what they ask for, and how much they want to please our people, I have no doubt. they are going to change things.
“I’m very happy with the team now.”
Asked about Arsenal’s title chances, he added: “What I want is that everyone has the passion to do it. We’re not going to stop, we have to promote.
“But the way to promote is to look at this game and know that we have to do a lot of things better, especially in the first half, so that we can play better, and make sure that we are well prepared against Bournemouth because this is going to be a game that it’s really hard.”
What’s next?
Sunday, March 5, 1:00 p.m
Kick off 2:00pm
Arsenal host Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday; kick-off at 3pm. Meanwhile, Everton visiting Nottingham Forest at the City Ground Super Sunday; coverage begins at 1pm with kick-off at 2pm.
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