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A tense and turbulent first half for Emirates gave way to a dominant second half for the hosts, who quickly opened up a 2-0 lead within five minutes with goals from Gabriel Magalhães and Martin Zvimendi.
“It’s a beautiful night,” Arteta told Sky Sports. “We knew it was going to happen because they are a top-level opponent, but it was a very tough game.
“The first 10 minutes were a little shaky so we had to make some adjustments, but they were able to break through our press twice and run in some very dangerous situations, so they deserve credit for that.”
“Then we took control of the game and started creating chances. The way we started the second half was great. We really turned things around and were efficient in everything we did.”
“We had to be very careful and understand when to do everything. A lot of credit to our players because it’s not easy to play against this team.”
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With the tie so close, it seemed imperative that Arsenal end the year with a strong and expressive performance, which they did.
“In the last few weeks we have created a lot of chances, but today we saw the difference. In other games we needed a wicked goal to win, but today the quality of the finishing was top notch and it made the difference,” Arteta said.
It was Gabriel’s first start since early November, and his opener was the start of Arsenal’s ruthless dominance.
The 28-year-old has always been a threat from set-pieces in an Arsenal shirt, and his presence prompted a breakthrough when Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez fumbled the ball from a corner.
“We saw that today,” Arteta said of the importance of defenders.
“He came back after six weeks out, which should have been eight weeks, but he came back sooner. He’s probably one of the best strikers in the league and he was calm against an opponent who is very difficult to mark. I thought he was great.”
