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Arsenal defeated Tottenham 2-0 at the Emirates in a game that Mikel Arteta called a good test for his squad.
To say that the walls were closing in on Mikel Arteta and Arsenal prior to the 2-0 win over Tottenham was an understatement, but now the Gunners have room to breathe.
After a 2-0 defeat in the Carabao Cup to Newcastle in the first leg of the semi-finals and then a loss on penalties to Manchester United in a game in which the Gunners had 26 shots to just seven, the north London derby was a huge clash for Arsenal.
And while the Gunners went behind, in four first half minutes, a Dominic Solanke own goal and a well-taken Leandro Trossard goal gave Arsenal the lead, and it never looked back.
After the doom and gloom that surrounded the club over the past week, had this game not gone the way it did, one can only imagine what would have been said about both Arteta and the team.
But alas, the right result was achieved, and for Arteta, he was proud of his team that after back-to-back losses, they still found a way to come out and get a much-needed win.
"I'm very proud of the team, I think we were sensational," Arteta said via arsenal.com. "I think it was a good test to see after two big performances and not getting rewarded in two different competitions. You have to play the biggest game of the season for our people in those conditions, and it's a test of attitude. I think we played from the minute one to hurt them with or without the ball. I think we fully deserve to win the game. I think we made a lot of people very happy, but especially very proud to see a team that behaves in the manner that they have played to it again."
it was as much as a "gotta have it" game for the title race as it was for the confidence of the squad, which over the last two games, had taken a serious hit.
But now, that is restored somewhat, and with the gap between Arsenal and Liverpool just four points (Liverpool has a game in hand), suddenly, that once huge gap doesn't seem so insurmountable.
Of course, it is one game, but it's a step in the right direction for the Gunners and with a tough outing against Aston Villa up next, Arsenal must be all gas, no brakes in an attempt to keep the good vibes flowing.