Arteta throws down Arsenal gauntlet as unbeaten run extended against Leeds
Mikel Arteta has challenged his Arsenal side to extend their unbeaten run further after they progressed to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals with victory over Leeds.
The Gunners were victorious over their Premier League counterparts thanks to goals from Calum Chambers and Eddie Nketiah. The win meant they have not been beaten in their last eight games. And only two of those matches have ended in draws.
Arteta was happy with his side’s performance after some tactical half-time tweaks and now wants them to push on again.
Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: “A really good performance over a team where the manager in every action is so committed.
“We understood the game and what we had to do, we did this the right way.
“They gave us some issues, they always do, but we created a lot of shots and situations without being very clinical, we adjusted a few things at half time and we were better and stronger.
“We had some strong individual performances. They deserved the opportunity and grabbed it. We have hunger and desire and players willing to work, we need to carry on with this run and win more matches.”
It was the Arsenal backline which shone in the cup win. One of the downsides, though, was defender Ben White being forced off. However, Arteta explained there’s no long-lasting concern for supporters.
“With Ben and with some others, he had a bug, so he wasn’t feeling great,” the Spanish boss explained.
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White’s fellow centre-back Chambers opened the scoring just 23 seconds after coming on in place of his team-mate.
When asked about the moment, he replied: “It was good, it was a nice moment. I was pretty confident it went over so I was just waiting for him to give it.
“He (Arteta) told us to keep going, play the way we want, it’s always hard against Leeds, they play in a very unique way, we stood up to the test and came away with the win.”
Fellow goalscorer Nketiah added: “It’s always nice to play, it’s been a while, I have been working hard, waiting for my opportunity. The most important thing was to get through.
“We are on a good run at the moment. We push each other every day in training and results come in a match.
“The manager picks the 11 and ultimately we just work hard in training.”
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