Having urged his players to return to winning ways in the Premier League, Mikel Arteta was delighted with a 4-0 victory at Ipswich Town that strengthens Arsenal’s chances of securing second place for a third consecutive season.
Leandro Trossard struck either side of the break, with Gabriel Martinelli and substitute Ethan Nwaneri also on the scoresheet. Ipswich were reduced to 10 men after 32 minutes when Leif Davis was shown a red card for a reckless challenge on Bukayo Saka.
Asked if today’s performance was the perfect way to follow up Tuesday’s win at Real Madrid, Arteta said: Yeah, I’m really happy with the performance, especially the way we started the game 11 against 11.
“In the first 35 minutes, I think we were exceptional. Scored two, could have scored three or four and after, obviously, the game changed after the sending off and we controlled the game well.
“We lacked a little bit of threat, but at the end we scored another two good goals. So overall, we rotated players, we rest some players, so a good afternoon.”
He added: “Some of the play, the way we connected with each other, the ball speed, positioning, understanding and timing of it was exceptional.”
Having taken the opportunity to rest some players, it was worrying seeing Bukayo Saka take a kick that resulted in a red card for Leif Davis and the England international ending the day with an ice pack on his ankle. Thankfully, it doesn’t sound like a bad injury.
“I didn’t see the tackle, it was quite fast,” said Arteta.
“It was very far from the bench, but after watching it, I think it’s a good decision by the referee [to send off Leif].
“And thankfully, [Bukayo]s is in a bit of pain, but it doesn’t look anything too serious.”
Arsenal’s win at Portman Road means Liverpool’s hopes of wrapping up the title this afternoon have been put on hold. The Gunners have also opened up a seven-point advantage on Newcastle, which puts Arteta’s side in a strong position to nail a third consecutive second-place finish in the league.
“There’s still a lot of points to play, so we’re going to have to still do quite a lot to achieve that [second place],” said the manager.
“We managed to delay for another week the championship for Liverpool, and that’s what we have to try to do.
“Maintain the standards,” he added. “Wednesday, we’re going to have another tough game against [Crystal] Palace at home.
“The best preparation [for the Champions League] and the best way to be on top form with good confidence and the team flowing is to continue to perform and win the game. It’s been a really good week.”
You can say that again.
