Mikel Arteta praised Arsenal's never-say-die spirit after they twice fought back from behind to claim a dramatic 2-2 draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge despite having David Luiz sent off in the first half.
The Brazilian was shown a straight red card when he brought down Tammy Abraham following an under-hit backpass from Shkodran Mustafi, with Jorginho converting the resulting penalty.
But Gabriel Martinelli struck a breakaway equaliser midway through the second period, before Cesar Azpilicueta's close-range finish was cancelled out by Hector Bellerin's left-footed strike three minutes from time.
The full-back's goal secured a draw which felt like a win for Arsenal, who only had two shots on goal to Chelsea's 19 but showed impressive resilience, and Arteta was delighted by their response to the early setback.
"I am proud," he said in his post-match press conference. "The spirit they showed, the character, the fight and the leadership was there.
"You have to really stand up. When someone makes a mistake and someone has to take a red card, it can happen in football.
"What cannot happen is that afterwards we don't stand up for him. Every single player did it with belief as well.
"I could sense at half-time that they believed they could get back in the game. I wasn't expecting Hector to score with his left foot, obviously, but I'm very pleased.
"We are playing with a lot of young kids and what they have showed tonight is going to be a great experience for them: To keep believing that in football, if you give everything, anything can happen."
kubnouyz
343
yeah, the passion, team spirit and love of the team is there today. just like old unbeaten ginners..keep it up gunners.
Yesdoyz
215
Well said Arteta... Push n push n push till the final whistle is blown... I can see the future of Arsenal with you getting appointed as the new manager, you are a great mentor.. Martinelli scores again, Laca still cannot manage to score, even our captain with a goal after his injury.. ππππππ
Nesaiknruy_Legend
141
I respect that they held on, usually this tesn would crumble especially without Aubameyang. Hats off to Arteta hes a top manager for the future. I think him and Frank would be great if both fanbase back their respective managers.
FaithEvans
111
The most embattled performance in a long time, who else is for Martinelli keeping his place while Aubameyang play centrally when he's back?... this kid is the best teenager in all of football, by a country mile!