“It Comes to You” – Saka on Coping with External Noise
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Loud cheers greeted news of the final score at the Etihad Airways, some 420 miles away, at Amex Stadium.
“During the game, I could hear fans celebrating from everywhere, so in my head I knew something had gone right in the other games, but we’re just focused on ourselves.
“This game was pretty ugly. We didn’t play our best, but sometimes it’s important to get a result.”
It’s only early March, but it already feels inevitable that Arsenal and Manchester City’s fates will be intertwined between now and May, less than 22 years after they won the Premier League title.
Saka’s goal nine minutes later after taking advantage of a mistake by Bad Verbruggen ultimately sealed the match for the South Coast and was the perfect way for the England forward to mark his 300th appearance for the club. He slipped to the right and produced an instinctive finish, easing the early tension.
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Highlight: Gunners clear 7 with Saka’s strike
Video credit: TNT Sports
When asked about Saka’s milestone, Mikel Arteta said: “I didn’t realize it was that much, but what he’s doing at his age, the consistency he’s shown is really incredible and I’m honored to have him.”
“This was a really tough test and so was everything we’ve been through in the last few weeks. It was going to be a really, really tough test and we overcame it.
“Every game in the Premier League offers something different in relation to the situation you are faced with. So is the movement of the players and we had some problems with the players who started, so their effort has been astronomical and they should be congratulated.”
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Arteta: Arsenal’s away win was an ‘astronomical’ effort
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“I think there are some things we have to improve on on the day, but their dedication and desire to win is incredible.”
Arteta’s side registered just 0.01 xG in the first 45 minutes, highlighting the extent of Brighton’s goalkeeper’s lack of concentration, but the score remained 1-0.
Josep Guardiola’s side could only draw 2-2 at home to Forest, but the Gunners continue to advance with a seven-point lead over rivals City.
Arteta added: “It was a really difficult game considering what we’ve been through in recent weeks. We knew it was going to be a tough test and we overcame it.”
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Arsenal were forced to work hard to get three points against Brighton
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“The players’ moments, the issues we had. A lot of credit to the players because the effort they put in was astronomical. There are some other things we have to get better at.
“We’re missing a lot of guys on the back line. We had to make adjustments. We did what we had to do and we have to keep doing it.”
Arteta is likely to rotate his squad after a disastrous Premier League encounter, with Declan Rice limping off in the 2-1 win over Chelsea but was fine to start against Brighton.
Arsenal could have gone behind on Wednesday night after a mistake from David Raya, but Carlos Baleva’s shot was cleared on his own goal line by defender Gabriel.
The Brazilian centre-back was intimidating from start to finish, telling reporters: “When I saw the player free, I didn’t have time to jump on it, so I had to go forward and cover the goal. I think it was a magical moment.”
“We know what kind of games we want to play, but it’s a very difficult place to come here and play well. The important thing is how we fight and keep a clean sheet and get the three points. I’m very happy, but now we need to rest because we have a lot ahead of us.”
“We had to concentrate on every ball and in the end we put all our players up front. We had to defend well and I think we did well. I’m very happy to get the three points without conceding a goal.”
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“Saving the goalkeeper’s life” – Baleva almost punishes Raya’s lax mistake
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Hürzeler slams Arsenal star as ‘waste of time’
Brighton manager Fabian Hürzeler criticized Arsenal’s late restart at the corner in his pre-match press conference, but was unimpressed by what he felt was a waste of time in the second period, and cited visiting goalkeeper Raya as the biggest culprit.
“The Premier League needs to find the rules,” he told TNT Sports. “Give more yellow cards for wasting time. Have you ever seen a goalkeeper go down three times in a match?”
“I think everyone saw it. So everyone needs to form their own opinion. As I said before the game, I don’t think we should use too many words about this right now. We should focus more on our performance tonight and what we did well.”
“The important thing for me is that he handles other things well. In general, the Premier League needs to find its rules, because I don’t think it has anything to do with football or what Arsenal did there, and that’s what I wanted to make.”
