Mikel Arteta will be thrilled after running his North London derby unbeaten streak to eight following Arsenal’s 4-1 win over Spurs at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday.
The Arsenal boss has not tasted much bitter from the derby after a patchy start saw him go 2W-3L in his first five NLDs in charge of the Gunners.
MORE — Spurs v Arsenal recap, video highlights
The Spaniard has now won five on the bounce and is 7W-1D in his last eight meetings with the Lilywhite side of North London.
Arsenal got two more goals out of Spurs killer Eberechi Eze and a ninth PL goal of the season for Viktor Gyokeres in the win, which boosts the Gunners five points clear of second-place Man City.
Arsenal have played one more game than City and visit the Etihad Stadium on April 18. The two will also meet in the League Cup Final on March 22.
Mikel Arteta reaction — What did Arsenal boss say after North London derby rout of Spurs?
You were written off by some against Wolves and were so good today: “The beauty of football. You look back at the game against Wolves. How the hell do you draw a game there? There are no words to describe. You can’t feel sorry for yourself but the reaction of the boys was extraordinary.”
Viktor Gyokeres’ best game for Arsenal? “We’ve seen glimpses of it in the last few weeks but today was incredible. .. He’s overall play was incredible, the efficiency, the goals that he scored.”
Eberechi Eze has five goals against Spurs this year. How do you explain it? “It’s unbelievable but he had that in his recent memory. He had that belief. I’m really with him because he’s really trying to mold and adapt to how we want to play.”
Arsenal have the commitment to go all the way to the wire? “We know this is the Premier League it’s going to go all the way to the end, that’s for sure. Ten games. It’s a long long way to go a marathon with millimeters for margins.”
Good mentality? “Look at Declan, he made an error but the way he played afterward made up for it. That’s the attitude we need.”
Eberechi Eze reaction
You said you had a feeling before last derby. Did you feel it this time, too? “I always have that feeling but today thanks to God it’s worked out. We put in a good performance. We did what we needed to do which is a main thing.
Celebrated after getting some stick from fans: “That’s football. That’s part of the game and understandable. I’ll keep doing what I’m doing, keep pushing.”
Nice combo with Gyokeres on your second goal? “Viktor was doing it all game. You can see the work ethic and how much he helps the team not just his goals but with putting players like me in good positions.”
Viktor Gyokeres reaction
Thoughts on the game? “In some aspects it was a good one. In some others I could’ve done a few bits better. It was a tough game but we showed much better thing son the pitch today.”
Your goal came at a good time. Talk through it: “We did that a few times in training. I watch his goals against Spurs last game and I tried to replicate a little bit and it worked.”
Five of your six PL goals are vs Spurs this year. Why? “I try to score every single game. It seems to work a lot against Tottenham.”
