October 8th 2023.
Arsenal secured a hard-fought victory over Manchester City on Sunday at the Emirates, breaking a five-year winless streak against their rivals. Mikel Arteta praised the courage of two of his players, goalkeeper David Raya and substitute Gabriel Martinelli, who scored the dramatic winning goal.
Raya had a shaky start to the match and faced criticism from Gary Neville, but Arteta was delighted with his performance. He said, “I think he was excellent. He can misplace one or two passes, but I demand he stop the ball when he needs to, to get clarity, to get understanding. But overall, the way he controlled the ball, how dominant he was and how high he played, I love players with courage and David certainly has big ones."
Martinelli had only recently recovered from a hamstring injury and was not expected to feature in the squad until after the international break. However, the forward was determined to make an impact and was already dressed up and ready to go when Leandro Trossard got injured.
The win puts Arsenal joint top of the Premier League alongside Tottenham, two points clear of Manchester City. Arteta said, "It is just part of the journey. You learn from every defeat. But the team is so willing. It is a joy to work with them. We have to live this moment and we have to carry on."
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