Mikel Arteta expressed his delight at Arsenal’s dominant performance against Sporting Lisbon, securing a statement 5-1 win at the Estadio Jose Alvalade to bolster their chances of a top-eight finish in the Champions League league phase.
Close-range finishes from Gabriel Martinelli and Kai Havertz, along with a trademark header from Gabriel Magalhaes, propelled the Gunners to a commanding three-goal lead by half-time.
Although Goncalo Inacio pulled one back just two minutes into the second half, Arteta’s side weathered the home side’s pressure and sealed the victory with a Bukayo Saka penalty and a late header from substitute Leandro Trossard.
The result ended a run of five away games in Europe without a win and was the first time the Gunners had scored five on the road in the Champions League since 2008. All in all, it was a very satisfying evening.
“I’m very happy,” he told TNT Sports. “It’s a big result against a big opponent. I think they haven’t lost a game here in 18 months and we wanted to make a statement.
“I felt really good energy, really good belief before the match. You have to put it into practice. I think the first half was exceptional. It gave us the platform to win the game and a really positive and important win for us.”
Arsenal cut through the hosts at will in the opening 45 minutes making them look distinctly average. While there’s no doubt Sporting, coming to terms with life without head coach Ruben Amorim, were under-par, the quality of the Gunners’ performance in every area of the pitch was clear for all to see.
“You have to create that space,” said Arteta. “You have to earn it. Normally, they don’t give you that space. But I think we’re really clever, really intelligent, really efficient the way we attack them. And that’s the way we put our advantage forward.
“You have to enjoy it,” added the Spaniard. “When you come and play in this competition against this kind of team, you have to enjoy it. And what I love about the team is how we flow, how they play with that purpose to make things happen. I’m really pleased.”
Having gone a month without a win, the Gunners have now recorded two in the space of four days, scoring eight goals in the process. With captain Martin Odegaard restored to the team after injury and other players working their way back to full fitness, there’s reason for optimism.
“That’s what we need,” said Arteta of the back-to-back wins. “You need the consistency if you want to be challenging for big things. You have to be so consistent and win and win again. Today was a very different game, but we adapted really well. And let’s move on now.”
