Arteta praises Arsenal for gritty victory over rivals Spurs in Premier League

Mikel Arteta praised Arsenal's determination as the resilient Gunners overcame the absence of Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard to secure a hard-fought 1-0 victory against Tottenham in a fiercely contested match on Sunday.

Arteta's side were without skipper Odegaard due to an ankle injury suffered on Norway duty, while fellow midfielder Rice served a suspension for his red card against Brighton. But the Premier League title contenders dug deep with a combative display, benefitting from Tottenham's latest display of wasteful finishing before Gabriel Magalhaes bagged the winner in the second half.

The Brazilian defender's first goal since February made it three wins from four league games for unbeaten Arsenal as they chase a first title since 2004 after two successive runners-up finishes.

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"Super happy obviously. We know what it means for our club and our people to win a north London derby," Arteta said. "We had moments in the game where we had to suffer. We had to adapt a little bit because of some of the players we lost.

"I prepared for Tottenham for five days, then in one moment I lost one player and in another I lost another. I didn't sleep much!

"There were no excuses, no crying. The players have thick skin. They love the game. Sometimes to win you have to do the ugly things and they love to do that.

"I loved it, because day after day the players are hungrier and hungrier."

Arsenal have now won on their last three visits to Tottenham, losing just once, in May 2022, in their last eight meetings with their hated neighbours.

The second-placed Gunners are two points behind Manchester City as they turn their attention to their Champions League opener at Atalanta on Thursday before travelling to face Pep Guardiola's champions next weekend.

Arteta believes Arsenal's latest success behind enemy lines with stand them in good stead for a daunting week.

"We won three years in a row here. That is a big thing in the history of the club," he said. "It is a tough week coming up. The players believe already. We have a won a lot of big games, but this will give us a lot of energy and belief."

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