Arteta’s men completed a perfect comeback as they beat a two-goal deficit against Bournemouth to win 3-2
Arteta’s men showed character in a match where everything seemed to go against them. The Spaniard praised his side’s resilience and determination in a 3-2 victory over Bournemouth which he called “madness”.
‘Madness from the first second’ – Arteta
Bournemouth scored the second-fastest goal in Premier League history after only nine seconds and despite Arsenal’s overwhelming pressure managed to double up on it by the second half. However, the Gunners completed an unbelievable comeback as Partey and Ben White scored to equalize the game for Arsenal.
Arsenal couldn’t find the net for the third time as they bombarded Bournemouth’s box in the final 20 minutes of the game. However, the man of the hour, Reiss Nelson, who had come on to assist Ben White’s second goal as well, managed an incredible volley from just outside the box on a deflected corner in literally the last kick of the game to win the match for the Gunners and explode the Emirates Stadium with emotions.
“It was madness from the first second. We kept trying and dominating the game. We had a mountain to climb and we took it bit by bit,” Arteta told BBC Match of the Day.
“Players had the hunger to go for the first goal. From then the atmosphere changed. Reiss hasn’t featured much because he has been injured. He comes on and puts in that performance. It was incredible to experience the emotion with the crowd. It’s going to stick with us.
“I am going to remember this day for a few things. I loved the initiative, the courage, their personality, and the way they made things happen. When its ugly and when its difficult, that’s what big teams do. We have to make it easier for ourselves. But this is the Premier League.
“The opponents are good, and they make it hard for you. Now we have the Europa League – many games coming up. We’re going to need everyone at their best.”
Nelson added of his late winner: “We need moments like this if we want to go all the way. We’re not looking at any other team at the minute. We are focusing on ourselves.
“We will keep going day-by-day, game-by-game. As an Arsenal fan, I’m just delighted with the result.”
