Mikel Arteta hailed Leandro Trossard’s response to being “upset” after he came off the bench to help Arsenal earn a 2-0 win over Aston Villa.
Emi Martinez twice denied Arsenal in the opening stages, most notably palming Bukayo Saka’s goalbound effort wide, but Villa’s Ollie Watkins had his head in his hands after scuffing wide from close range.
Watkins had another opportunity in the second period and his certain goal was heroically denied by David Raya – which allowed Trossard to put Arsenal in front with his first touch before Thomas Partey sealed all three points.
Trossard stroked past Martinez into the bottom corner but did not react before his team-mates mobbed him in celebration.
Arteta said: “First of all when you don’t get picked they are certain ways to react.
“He is upset but he is upset to show on the pitch how good he is, not upset and then come in and complain (he) wasn’t playing, that is a huge quality.
“The boys who unfortunately didn’t have the minutes are supporting the other ones and that’s exactly what we need.
“We have two great left wingers that play in that position and it’s always a challenge, but you know you will get that quality on certain and specific games. Today I decided to play Gabi (Martinelli) who had a good performance and after that we had to change the game, Trossard came on and made the difference so big credit to him.”
Villa started the second half the brighter of the two teams and could have taken the lead after Amadou Onana’s deflected effort bounced off the crossbar and Watkins nodded the rebound towards goal, but Raya magnificently saved to keep the scores goalless.
Arteta admitted his side faced a tough challenge but was happy to come out with all three points.
“Today we found a way to win because the team showed personality and understood the game better and better apart from those 25 minutes in the second half,” he said.
“When we needed to rely on certain individuals, we did like when David made a good save and when we made the changes, the impact it had was tremendous.
“When a team starts to be equipped that way and navigates different situations in the match it becomes a team that can win in any place.”
Defeat for Aston Villa meant Unai Emery lost to his former employers Arsenal for just the second time in his career.
Emery bemoaned his side’s missed chances which cost them a result but was happy with the way his side competed against a team he feels will be in contention to win the Premier League.
“Arsenal is a tough game for us,” Emery said.
“We competed well, they have an advantage because they are mature and both players and coaches are strong.
“The mentality they have is high level and they are in contention to win the Premier League.
“Before they scored a goal, we had two very good chances to score. We had to be clinical, last year we did, today we didn’t.
“We had very good chances – the second half was key, when we had the chances to score we didn’t do that. They were clinical with two actions but I am more or less proud of how we played.
“Today we lost but competed well, and we were feeling comfortable with the chances we were creating. Some players have work to do getting better physically and understanding how we want to play.
PSG get talks underway with Bournemouth for ZabarnyiFabrizio Romano reports that PSG are determined to sign Ilya Zabarnyi this summer. While talks are underway with Bournemouth, the two clubs have not yet reached an agreement. The player remains keen to join Les Parisiens.Everton join Newcastle in race to sign GrealishEverton are interesting in acquiring the services of Manchester City outcast Jac...
WHAT HAPPENED?Napoli striker Osimhen has reportedly made up his mind on his future, and it seems like it won't include a sensational move to the Middle East. This comes from a scoop from journalist Buchi Laba, who reports that Osimhen has rejected a fifth offer from Saudi side Al-Hilal and would rather continue his career in Europe.THE BIGGER PICTURELaba claims that Osimhen is not interested in a ...
France captain Kylian Mbappe says he is satisfied with his side bouncing back from their Nations League loss to Spain in the third-placed play-off.Les Bleus finished the campaign with a win over Germany, thanks to goals from the Real Madrid star and Michael Olise.And while there was a lot to like about the French performance in Stuttgart, Mbappe took a balanced approach to things in his post-match...
WHAT HAPPENED?The German club have asked to be kept up to date on Sancho's situation, with the Man Utd outcast being touted as a possible replacement for Chelsea target Jamie Gittens, as per Sky Sports. Sancho has already re-joined the club from Manchester United once - a six-month loan spell at the end of last season - and could yet return for a third spell with the German giants. Chelsea paid a ...
Jobe Bellingham of Sunderland celebrates getting promoted back to the Premier LeagueEngland U21 midfielder Jobe Bellingham has agreed terms to leave Sunderland for Borussia Dortmund in a deal reported at around 331 million including add-ons.The Bedlington-born starlet joins the German club on a five-year contract following Sunderland's promotion to the Premier League.Dortmund has reportedly agreed...
Brian Priske has chosen to return to Sparta PragueBrian Priske has returned to Sparta Prague to take up the position as head coach, say the Czech club on their website."We are pleased to announce the appointment of our new head coach. We welcome Brian, who knows the environment in the club. We strongly believe that he will build on the successful work he has delivered in the past and help Sparta w...
Borussia Dortmund keen on signing Jadon SanchoBorussia Dortmund are weighing up a fresh move for Jadon Sancho amid uncertainty over his future at Manchester United.The Bundesliga side have requested to be kept informed about the Englishman’s status at Old Trafford, with the out-of-favour winger seen as a potential replacement for Chelsea-linked Jamie Gittens, according to Sky Sports.Sancho i...
Gravenberch names his 2025 Ballon d'Or favouriteRyan Gravenberch shared his 2025 Ballon d'Or choice, backing his Liverpool teammate Mohamed Salah to win the prestigious award.The Egypt international was the frontrunner for the 2025 Ballon d'Or during the first half of the season, topping both the goals and assists charts in the Premier League.0"That's a tough one, but I'll go for my teammate: Moha...
Uriah RennieUriah Rennie, the first black man to referee in the Premier League, has died at the age of 65.WHAT HAPPENED?In August 1997, Rennie was named as the referee for a Premier League game between Derby County and AFC Wimbledon and made history as the division's first ever black referee. He went on to officiate over 300 top-flight games across 11 years, as well as refereeing domestic cup fina...
Lewandowski rules out Poland return under coach ProbierzBarcelona striker Robert Lewandowski has announced that he will no longer play for Poland as long as Michal Probierz remains head coach. The 36-year-old, who has earned 158 caps and scored 85 goals, was recently replaced as captain by Piotr Zielinski.0"Taking into account the circumstances and a loss of trust in the coach, I have decided to r...
- 1 Transfer news & rumours LIVE
- 2 Marcus Rashford 'grows close' to stunning semi-pro padel player
- 3 Why Premier League transfer may be off the cards for Victor Osimhen as Man Utd make 'timid' attempts to convince striker
- 4 Chukwueze reveals cause of AC Milan’s ‘disastrous’ season
- 5 Transfer news & rumours LIVE
- 6 FIFA confirms 34 team base camp training sites in the United States for 2025 Club World Cup, including nine in Florida and five in Calitornia
- 7 Man Utd continue to be linked with Emi Martinez
- 8 Daily Laugh - Mbeumo and his amazing talent
- 9 Liverpool's dream transfer window with six signings including £100m striker
- 10 Transfer news: Jadon Sancho announces move as Liverpool confirm deal