MY ACCOUNT
Mikel Arteta saluted Gabriel Jesus for taking Arsenal “to a different level” after the Brazilian scored in Saturday’s 3-1 derby win over Tottenham.
Jesus seized on Hugo Lloris’ mistake to hand Arsenal a 2-1 second-half lead at the Emirates Stadium, before Granit Xhaka made the points safe with an excellent low finish.
Only Erling Haaland (12) has been involved in more Premier League goals than Jesus (eight) in the Premier League this season.
Meanwhile, only Andrey Arshavin (nine) has recorded more goal contributions in his first eight Premier League appearances for Arsenal.
Speaking to BT Sport after the win, manager Arteta said the drive that Jesus has brought since joining from Manchester City has improved his young team this season.
“It’s his winning mentality,” Arteta said. “The way he trains every day, it brings confidence to the team, and he has taken us to a different level.”
Table-topping Arsenal ended Tottenham’s unbeaten start to the Premier League season with their convincing win, and Arteta described the Gunners’ performance as “phenomenal”.
“We went for it, and we created great energy in the stadium and deserved to win the game,” Arteta said.
“With our way of playing, we can attack in different ways. They [Tottenham] don’t need much, and you have the feeling that they can create. You have to live with that.
“But we didn’t have that in the back of our mind. We were free, courageous and brave, and this is what we demand from the players. It gives us a lot of encouragement and confidence to believe that we can play at this level.”
Arteta is just the third manager in Arsenal’s history to win each of his first three home games against Tottenham, after George Morrell between 1909 and 1911 and Terry Neill between 1977 and 1979. He feels delighted by the bond between his side and the fans.
“We have connected with our supporters and when that happens it is a really powerful thing,” Arteta added when speaking to BBC Sport.
“We had a really meaningful opportunity to give a lot of people happiness on a beautiful day, and we have delivered that, and it is a really great feeling.
“We are focusing on what we are doing. This is a sign that we are going in the right direction. We need to maintain that now and go for it.
“You feel the desire and humility – they haven’t won anything yet and that is important to have that humility, which is a big driver for us.”
