Mikel Arteta singled out Kai Havertz for special praise after the Germany forward scored twice in last night’s 5-0 mauling of Chelsea.
Havertz, a £65million signing from Chelsea in June 2023, has taken time to adapt to life at the Emirates but was at his sparkling best against his former club, playing a key role as Arsenal moved three points clear at the top of the Premier League table.
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Ben White also scored twice to add to Leandro Trossard’s early opener but Arteta was particularly eager to discuss Havertz’s display.
He told BBC’s Match of the Day: “His overall contribution in every phase of play was tremendous. When you add the two goals he scored and some of the link-up play that he had in big moments, [it was] a great performance.
“Individually we had some great performances. We have to do our job. Now we have to wait and see [for Liverpool and Manchester City’s results].”
Second-placed Liverpool are at Everton tonight while Manchester City, who are four points behind Arsenal with two games in hand, visit Brighton tomorrow.
Arsenal’s result has put the pressure on the chasing duo, and Arteta was thrilled with his side’s display against a sorry Chelsea outfit.
“I’m really happy with the performance, collectively and individually. To stand up in a big match against a big opponent and to get a result with the performance that we had today, makes me really pleased,” he added.
“From the beginning we looked really sharp, really active, sharp, aggressive off the ball.
“I have analysed every game from them [Chelsea] and they have been outstanding. They have played some big teams and were better than them, they’ve deserved better results. I think they are a great team. They are extremely well-coached with good individuals. Credit to our players, they’ve done really well today.
“The energy, the belief in the team, every time we had the opportunity to go forward we did.”