Mikel: “A good night, an incredible atmosphere” | Interview | News

It was an eventful evening at the Emirates Stadium as we had to come from behind to knock Crystal Palace out of the Carabao Cup, but overall Mikel Arteta was delighted with his team’s victory.

“Yes, I was very happy for various reasons,” he told us after the game. “The first, of course, because we are in the semi-finals of a competition that we want to win. The game started very difficult with a very naive goal that we gave away and complicated the situation. After the period in the first half where we didn’t have the continuous momentum to create threats and chances, we made some changes and adjustments to the way we played and became a real threat.

“Beyond that, of course, it was a big night for Gabby, a big night for a player who is constantly trying and isn’t someone who keeps anything to himself – he tries to do his best for the team. “Today he has three We had great moments and obviously helped us win. And for other players like Kieran, like Raz (Raheem), who haven’t played many minutes yet, to feel important and feel like they can contribute to the team in the right way, so a good evening.”

Two of Mikel’s second-half substitutions provided the decisive advantage for Gabby, as Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka both provided assists for our hat-trick hero.

“Yeah, we needed something different and we made a few changes and that definitely changed the game,” Mikel explained. “That’s what we need, players coming off the bench and having the mentality to make a difference and make a difference. They were really helpful.”

We are now 16 games unbeaten at the Emirates Stadium and our home performance was an absolute blast, especially in the second half when the performance boosted the spirits of the fans in the stadium.

“It was great, an incredible atmosphere,” added Mikel. “Obviously it’s phenomenal when the team brings that energy and commitment every three days and the way the guys try to tackle it. I really appreciate it because it really changed the game, that energy.”

When the team news was released at 6.30pm, one of the most interesting topics of conversation was Kieran Tierney’s first appearance since the 2023 Community Shield.

Our full-back has had a unique journey: last season he was loaned out to Real Sociedad in La Liga and played for Scotland at Euro 2024 before returning to our team.

“That’s the beauty of football – sometimes it goes in circles,” said Mikel. “He had to go and do a loan spell, even after a long, long injury, and day after day he has earned the right to get some trust from us again, that he can help us, that he could be very important for us. “Team, he could impact the team and he certainly did that tonight.”

Just around the corner: Heading to Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace again this weekend, Mikel expects another tough test.

“That’s correct! Let’s prepare for the game again, review it, (there will be) a few tweaks that I think both teams will make and try to be better than themselves to beat them.”