Arteta hails Trossard’s ‘magic moment’ and Gabriel’s leadership after Arsenal beat Fulham | OneFootball

Mikel Arteta praised his Arsenal side’s resilience and growing maturity after a hard-fought 1-0 win at Fulham, secured by a Leandro Trossard strike from a well-worked corner.

“The recent history wasn’t in our favour and we wanted to change that, like we did against Newcastle and West Ham at home,” said Arteta. “That’s another step, having that mindset and that ability to win these kind of matches against a really good opposition, in a really difficult place to come.

“The first 10-15 minutes, it took us a while to get into the game with some very unusual giveaways that caused transitions. After that, we started to dominate the game much better. Against this team, they are really well organised. The more it dragged on, the better we were, and we managed to win the game – another title shift.”

The result was also notable for Arsenal’s defensive record. It marked the second successive league match in which they didn’t allow a shot on target, something the club last achieved in 2003.

“Not comfortable for us, because this pitch feels like it’s smaller and they are straight away on you in the box,” Arteta said. “But they didn’t generate any big chances. It was more the feeling, especially in the first half with the giveaways. Thankfully, it was enough.”

On grinding out results, he added: “You have to play the best in relation to the opponent. The best against Atletico Madrid is going to be different to the best of today. We have to take the game into areas that increase our chances of winning.”

Arteta was also pleased to see Trossard again make the difference from a dead-ball situation.

“Great, because we generate so many set-pieces,” he said. “Against low blocks when they don’t really want to drop, we have another opportunity to put players in the positions we want. At the end it was a set-piece, so more than welcome.”

The Arsenal boss also praised Gabriel’s mentality after a difficult start on his return from a long journey back from playing for Brazil.

He added: “Gabi had two difficult moments, but the way he reacted and the sense of security he transmitted, that’s maturity, and that’s the mindset we need,” he said.

On Trossard’s decisive finish, Arteta concluded: “He has this quality, these magic moments when the team needs him most. That intuition, being in the right place at the right time, is a huge quality for the team.”