‘i Value More This Victory Than Any Other’: Beating Palace Delights Arteta

Mikel Arteta hailed Arsenal’s 1-0 triumph complete Crystal Palace arsenic nan astir valuable of nan play aft seeing his broadside unfastened up a four-point lead astatine nan Premier League’s summit.

In what was a tense Sunday day astatine nan Emirates Stadium, Eberechi Eze’s first-half volley against his erstwhile nine proved to beryllium nan winner. With Liverpool slipping to a 4th consecutive convention conclusion at Brentford connected Saturday, Arsenal vanished nan play 7 points clear of nan defending champions.

“I told nan boys that I worth much this triumph than immoderate different triumph this season,” Arteta said. “We knew nan trouble of it aft playing each 3 days. It was a large opportunity arsenic well, pinch nan things that happened during nan weekend.

“But I knew we were playing against a squad who have, successful my opinion, been 1 of nan champion successful position of organisation and really disappointment they tin make you. The infinitesimal you suffer attraction they will punish you.”

Manchester City, aft a 1-0 nonaccomplishment astatine Aston Villa connected Sunday, find themselves six points down Arsenal. Arteta was keen, however, to move acold h2o connected immoderate title talk. “We are wherever we are,” he said. “It’s a in installments to us, because we’ve been very, very accordant knowing nan trouble of each lucifer arsenic well. It is early and doesn’t mean thing different than, ‘let’s support doing a batch of things for illustration we’re doing really well’. But location are things to amended to springiness america amended margins.”

Eze’s extremity was his first successful nan Premier League since joining from Crystal Palace for £67.5m successful August. “He did it very likewise past year, but against us,” Arteta said smiling. “We cognize against a squad that defends pinch truthful galore bodies, doesn’t let immoderate space, you person to make chaos aliases unfastened spaces to make large chances. He took nan extremity really well.”

Arteta could not corroborate nan grade of nan injuries that forced William Saliba and Declan Rice off. The substitute Gabriel Martinelli was besides “a spot uncomfortable” by nan end.

“We didn’t springiness them a lot,” said Palace’s manager, Oliver Glasner. “But we made 2 mistakes and sewage punished. That’s why we lost.”