Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta lauded his players for their “incredible discipline” after they completed a “special” win over Premier League champions Manchester City.
The Gunners snapped a 12-game losing streak to Pep Guardiola’s side in the league after Gabriel Martinelli scored the only goal of Sunday’s game at the Emirates. The Brazilian’s long range effort took a heavy deflection off Nathan Ake as it flew past Ederson in the 86th minute.
“It is a special one,” Arteta told BBC Match of the Day. “It has been a long time since the club beat Manchester City. We felt today could be the day but we needed a big performance from everyone and we had that.
“The players had incredible discipline, they won so many balls. We lacked a bit of threat but overall the atmosphere was just incredible.
“We started the second half really, really well. The subs made a huge difference.
“Martinelli made a huge effort to be in the game, nobody believed he would there. The medical staff were trembling but he was there and he was excellent.
“It sends a message to our team, to keep doing what we are doing and stay humble and then we are a very difficult team to beat.”
Arsenal now leapfrog Man City to go second in the Premier League table on 20 points. They sit right behind leaders Tottenham Hotspur on goals scored.
