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Mikel Arteta was happy with the win over Girona in the Champions League for a host of reasons.
Job done. That's the overriding feeling coming out of the Arsenal camp after a 2-1 win over Girona that saw Mikel Arteta's side secure progression to the Round of 16 in the Champions League.
The win now sees the Gunners get a much-needed breather next month with the fixture list now opening up after Arsenal was playing games every three days for the last few months.
While things didn't get off to the best of starts, with Arnaut Danjuma opening the scoring for the hosts after Thomas Partey was caught out, quick-fire goals from Jorginho and then Ethan Nwaneri within four minutes of going behind gave the Gunners the lead.
And it was one they didn't surrender as they booked their spot in the Round of 16.
For Arteta, being able to not only win the game, but also be able to rest a host of stars in Declan Rice, Gabriel Martinelli, Kia Havertz and Jurrien Timber all of whom came on in the second half, means it was a superb night in Spain.
"We managed to give games to players that deserve it, for example Neto, and we have been able to give some minutes to certain players that really needed it, and rest some others," Arteta said via arsenal.com. "There’s no injuries and a good result, so very positive all round.”
One could nearly say it was a perfect night for the Gunners. Progression to the next phase, a win, and no injuries while a host of starters got a breather.
With the win, Arsenal will now be straight through to the Round of 16, and that means that no extra games will have to be played in February, meaning Arteta's side, which has been playing a lot of games over the festive period to now, will be able to get a few extra days rest between games.
Now, attention turns to the Premier League and Manchester City at the Emirates with the Gunners in need of three points to not only keep pace with leaders Liverpool, but also to extend the gap between themselves and City, which stands at six points.
Arsenal is beginning to build up a little bit of steam, and it will want to put an exclamation mark on its work by putting a dagger through the heart of Pep Guardiola's side.