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'I sensed the energy and how much they wanted it' - Arteta on Arsenal win over Chelsea

26-Dec-2020 20:56:37 | Yahoo Sports

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT VIDEO SHOWS: STILLS OF ARSENAL'S 3-1 WIN OVER CHELSEA; ARSENAL AND CHELSEA POST-MATCH NEWS CONFERENCES SHOWS: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (DECEMBER 26, 2020) (POOL REUTERS PICTURES - ACCESS ALL) (MUTE) 1. STILL PHOTO OF ARSENAL MANAGER MIKEL ARTETA POINTING 2. STILL PHOTO OF ALEXANDRE LACAZETTE SCORING ARSENAL'S FIRST GOAL WITH A PENALTY 3. STILL PHOTO OF BALL IN THE NET AFTER THE PENALTY 4. STILL PHOTO OF ALEXANDRE LACAZETTE CELEBRATING 5. STILL PHOTO OF GRANIT XHAKA SCORING ARSENAL'S SECOND GOAL WITH A FREE KICK 6. STILL PHOTO OF GRANIT XHAKA (CENTRE) CELEBRATING 7. STILL PHOTO OF BUKAYO SAKA (CENTRE) BEING CONGRATULATED AFTER SCORING ARSENAL'S THIRD GOAL 8. STILL PHOTO OF ARSENAL GOALKEEPER BERND LENO SAVING PENALTY FROM JORGHINO 9. STILL PHOTO OF BERND LENO CELEBRATING HIS SAVE 10. STILL PHOTO OF MIKEL ARTETA CONGRATULATING HIS PLAYERS LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (DECEMBER 26, 2020) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 11. (SOUNDBITE) (English) ARSENAL MANAGER, MIKEL ARTETA, SAYING: "Well, I think it's down to everybody including the seniors who have worked on a couple of things in a different way, some of them on the pitch, some of them have tried right... when we were coming on the bus, I sensed the energy and how much they wanted it. It doesn't get any better than playing in the Premier League on Boxing Day in a London derby, you know, and I said we have to take this opportunity now, to put some of the performances that we had in the past and we didn't have the results also. Everything we did today, we did a performance, a big performance to win against this team and we needed three points and the boys I think, right from the beginning, they did really well." 12. WHITE FLASH 13. (SOUNDBITE) (English) ARSENAL MANAGER, MIKEL ARTETA, SAYING: "I think it was a really good mixture today of senior players, experienced players and young talent that we have. They've been showing us in the last few weeks that they are capable of starting the games and I've no doubt that they will respond today, and I think they were really, really good." LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (DECEMBER 26, 2020) (POOL REUTERS PICTURES - ACCESS ALL) (MUTE) 14. STILL PHOTO OF CHELSEA PLAYER MASON MOUNT LOOKING DISCONSOLATE AFTER ARSENAL SCORED THEIR THIRD GOAL 15. STILL PHOTO OF CHELSEA MANAGER FRANK LAMPARD GONG TO CONGRATULATE MIKEL ARTETA LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (DECEMBER 26, 2020) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 16. (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHELSEA MANAGER FRAN LAMPARD SAYING: "I'm not sure if complacency is the right word, but there was definitely a lethargic approach to the first half, no matter whether you were playing Arsenal in a tough moment who've got quality players, or any team in the Premier League, you can't turn up with that lethargic moment. I am concerned with what's at the bottom of it, but I'm not sure it's complacency, but the fact that actually matters is that if you come and play slow, on and off the ball, you're going to have a big problem trying to get a result, so again you're right, the message was clear, we had to attack it in the right way - we didn't." STORY: Arsenal beat London rivals Chelsea 3-1 for their first league win in nearly two months on Saturday (December 26) as goals from Alexandre Lacazette, Granit Xhaka and Bukayo Saka lifted the pressure on coach Mikel Arteta. Arsenal, missing several first-choice players, took the lead in the 35th minute when Lacazette sent Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy the wrong way from the spot after Kieran Tierney was adjudged to have been clipped in the box by Reece James. Nine minutes later, Xhaka lifted an unstoppable free kick over the wall and beyond Mendy's dive. A visibly frustrated Chelsea coach Frank Lampard tried to turn the tide at halftime when he replaced out-of-form Germany striker Timo Werner with winger Callum Hudson-Odoi and Mateo Kovacic with Jorginho. But Chelsea were only marginally more threatening for most of the second half and Arsenal sealed the win in the 56th minute when Saka floated what looked like a cross over Mendy and the ball hit the far post and went in. Chelsea snatched a consolation goal with five minutes to go when Tammy Abraham converted a cross by Hudson-Odoi. Jorginho could have set up a tense finale but his poorly taken penalty was saved by Bernd Leno. "When we were coming on the bus, I sensed the energy and how much they wanted it," said a relieved Arteta. "Everything we did today, we did a performance, a big performance to win against this team and we needed three points and the boys I think right from the beginning, they did really well." Arsenal had failed to win any of their previous seven league games - losing five of them - and the win lifted them to 14th place in the table. Chelsea are sixth after their third consecutive away defeat. The Gunners went into the game with talk of a relegation battle swirling around the Emirates Stadium after their worst showing in the league so far in nearly 50 years. To compound their problems, they were missing David Luiz and former Chelsea midfielder Willian, who felt unwell. Both were left out as a precaution despite testing negative for the coronavirus. Brazilian Gabriel was sidelined after being in contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 and out-of-form striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was on the bench after an injury worry. But Arsenal looked hungry for a win right from the kickoff and understudies Emile Smith Rowe and Gabriel Martinelli, back from injury, threatened Chelsea with their pace. Lampard was left to lament Chelsea's slow start. "If you come and play slow, on and off the ball, you're going to have a big problem," he told reporters. "We had to attack it in the right way - we didn't." Production: Mike Brock)