Mikel Arteta celebrated a groundbreaking stride in his Arsenal team's development after defeating Manchester City with a late, deflected goal from Gabriel Martinelli.
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This thrilling finale to a mostly tight match put an end to their 12-match Premier League losing streak against Pep Guardiola's side, suggesting this season's title race might be wide open.
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Arteta reflected on the victory overcoming a psychological hurdle: "I'm not sure if it was a barrier. It was clearly something we had to face. To conquer them, we had to suffer defeats; probably like the one at the Etihad [4-1 in April]. We lost in two distinct ways last season. Today, the team displayed real maturity, which stems from experience. You sometimes need those moments to grow as a team."
Martinelli, who scored by ricocheting his shot off Nathan Aké's head causing Ederson to misstep, returned after missing five games due to a hamstring injury and made an impressive appearance ahead of schedule. The young Brazilian replaced Leandro Trossard during halftime and received high praise from Arteta: "His mindset is extraordinary for someone his age. He's a joy to have on the team. Today, he had the ability to make an impact and helped us secure the win."
Arteta chose not to comment on Michael Oliver's decision not to dismiss Mateo Kovacic for seemingly clear offenses but confirmed that Bukayo Saka will withdraw from England’s upcoming matches against Australia and Italy.
Regarding Saka's current unavailability, Arteta said: "He can't play football right now." Injuries ended Saka's 87-game top-flight streak while William Saliba also withdrew from France’s squad for this international window due to a toe issue.
Guardiola appeared frustrated after witnessing his side's lowest shot.
Feature image credit: skysport
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