'That is how you get to a different level' – Arteta praises Arsenal late show

Mikel Arteta believes Arsenal demonstrated "how you get to a different level" with their dramatic turnaround against Newcastle United on Sunday.

The Gunners trailed 1-0 after 84 minutes at St James' Park, where Nick Woltemade's first-half header put the hosts in the lead.

However, Arsenal's set-piece expertise came to the fore when it mattered once again. Mikel Merino headed them level and, in the sixth minute of stoppage time, Gabriel Magalhaes nodded in a last-gasp winner.

It was the second-latest they had trailed in a Premier League game and gone on to win, after their 3-1 victory over Norwich City in April 2013.

Meanwhile, timed at 95 minutes and 45 seconds, Gabriel's winner was their second-latest in a Premier League away match on record, behind Declan Rice's decisive effort against Luton Town in December 2023 (96 minutes, 23 seconds).

And Arteta, whose side scored a stoppage-time equaliser against Manchester City last weekend, is thrilled by the character and determination shown by his players.

"To win in the manner that we have done, what a feeling!" he said. "Football is about emotion and going through things, and today we had a beautiful one at the end of the match.

"The way we played and performed and competed; the chances we generated, we deserved to win. We did it in a dramatic way, but we deserved to win.

"That is how you get to a different level, by going through those moments and taking the lessons from it. It was a massive opportunity to make a statement and to prove to everybody and ourselves the team that we are.

"[It is a statement win] for ourselves, because they are a terrific team and they are so difficult to play against. The level of consistency and quality we showed today was top.

"You have to come to this place and you have to win. You have to find a way to do it, and it was tremendous."

Merino, who dragged Arsenal level, is the Gunners' top scorer across both all competitions (nine) and Premier League only (seven) in 2025. Four of his nine goals this year have been scored with his head, with no Premier League player netting more in this period.

The Spaniard concurred with Arteta that the visitors demonstrated their credentials by continuing to plug away, and eventually getting their rewards.

"Every single Premier League game is an opportunity for us, not only to win points, not only to make a statement, but also to show everybody what this club is about, to show the character and the mentality we have," he added.

"There's no better place than here, no better way than the way we have done it coming back from a really difficult situation. I'm really proud of everyone in there, not only the players, the staff and the fans who came here to support us.

"[Gabriel's last-gasp goal] shows a lot, not only set-pieces strategy, but also mentality. Other teams, if they get six or seven corners and they don't score, they start to lose belief in the qualities.

"But for us, it's a matter of keeping doing what we do, doing it at the highest level. In the end, the last corner, last second, we scored, and I'm really happy."