Recent draws away to Sunderland and Chelsea and a defeat at Aston Villa had seen Arteta’s side pegged back by Manchester City at the top of the Premier League, but Saturday’s controlled performance against Everton suggested that they might be through the worst of a rocky patch on their travels.
“(Winning was) very important. You need to enjoy the process of winning, and that is going to be a hard moment, a difficult moment, a great moment. That’s all part of that intention and how close we are to winning, and that’s what we have to enjoy,” Arteta said.
A former Everton player, Arteta knew how tough it would be to come to Merseyside and get a result in Everton’s new stadium and despite the home side’s dogged defending he felt that his team probably should have scored more goals
“We knew it would be a really tough match. In the second half we should have scored a second or third goal to be more relaxed. We didn’t do that and against this type of team it can be tense,” the 43-year-old said.
The win put Arsenal back at the top of the standings with 39 points, two ahead of Manchester City who briefly took over top spot with a 3-0 win over West Ham United earlier in the day, but Arteta said that the placings were not that important at this stage in the season.
“From the first day, the only thing we can control is our own performances and results, and we know how long it’s going to be, how tough is this league, and that’s it. Enjoy every day. Do your best, and let’s see what we get,” he said.
City’s win put them on 37 points, one more than the Gunners ahead of their late kick-off, but that lead lasted for only a few hours as Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres scored from the spot midway through the first half after a handball at a corner by Everton’s Jake O’Brien.