After leading the team to a 1-0 away victory against Liverpool in the 9th round of the Premier League, Arsenal head coach Arteta was interviewed by the club's official media.
Arteta said: "I am so happy, so proud, and now full of energy. What else can I say? For everyone associated with this club, this is a proud moment. We have waited 14 years for this moment."
"We achieved this under extremely special circumstances – just four days ago, we lost to Fleetwood in the League Cup in an extremely undignified manner. Now, coming to Anfield, we had to ensure everyone believed in themselves and was ready to navigate a match that was bound to have difficult moments. The opponent would create excellent scoring opportunities, and when those opportunities arose, you had to be ready to convert them into goals. The lads' performance tonight was extraordinary."
"Firstly, at crucial moments of the game, you must show extremely high quality, just as we did tonight by creating six or seven excellent scoring opportunities and converting them.Secondly, it's about that indomitable resilience. When facing a team that can drag a game into chaos – they have vast spaces, many attacking runs, immense physicality, and are incredible at winning second balls – you must be able to withstand the pressure again and again. To maintain focus throughout the entire match and consistently perform at a high level is by no means an easy feat.”
“The first thing I had to do was quickly pick myself up after losing to Fleetwood, because that loss was extremely painful. I know very well what kind of club I represent, and being eliminated in that manner was truly heartbreaking.But this was also a learning experience for me, because in the world of football, you don't have time to feel sorry for yourself. This is football; we were eliminated, that's a fact. All right, then let's think about why this happened, and how I can look the lads in the eye and tell them the next morning: in four days, we're going to Anfield. From Friday onwards, all of us had this determination bottled up.”
Regarding Christos Tzolis's performance after his return from injury in this match, Arteta said: "Simply incredible. We owe immense credit to the medical department, sports science department, and physiotherapists; it's everything they did for him that allowed him to return. Of course, his own mindset and attitude towards every day are also amazing. He prepares every day with extreme attention to detail, which is truly incredible."