Arteta says Konsa goal could 'unlock' Arsenal's set piece threat

Mikel Arteta believes Ezri Konsa's scrappy opener against Everton could reignite Arsenal's set piece potency after a run of games without a dead ball goal left the manager visibly frustrated.

Konsa bundled in the opener from a corner in Arsenal's 2-0 win at the Emirates on Saturday, before Gabriel Magalhaes headed home a second from a Ben White cross in open play. The result moved Arsenal level on points with Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table.

Arsenal won the Premier League last season with set pieces forming a central part of their identity, so a dry spell from dead balls had clearly bothered Arteta heading into the Everton clash.

Arteta on rediscovering belief

'I'm sure that's going to unlock something and that belief of the players,' Arteta said. 'So they are really convinced. You have to see them when we train the level of attention and how much they believe in what we do and what Nico [Jover, set piece coach] does as well. There's no question about that, but at the end he has to come through and he has to make the difference and we know that that is a massive welcome for us.'

Arteta also pointed to missed opportunities earlier in the week as evidence of pent up frustration over the team's recent set piece output. 'We hadn't scored from a set piece, which we were disappointed with because we had generated so many chances as well,' he said. 'I think in midweek we should have scored at least two in Munich and we didn't and that would probably win us the game. We know that in every phase of play we want to be the best and we're not going to stop until we do it.'

Gabriel praised after injury scare

Gabriel's performance drew strong praise from Martin Keown, who called the Brazilian a 'legend' of the club on BBC's Match of the Day. 'Gabriel is into his sixth season at Arsenal now and this guy is just a machine,' Keown said. 'You rarely see a striker get the better of him. I've seen him mature a lot and become the leader at the back. He was immense again today. He just loves defending and the fans just buzz of him. He's a legend of the football club now.'

The defender had gone down with an apparent injury early in the second half, only minutes before scoring Arsenal's second goal. Arteta addressed the moment in his post-match press conference, highlighting it as a reflection of the squad's mentality. 'He is a clear example of when I talk about the mentality of the team,' Arteta said. 'The mentality of the team is the mentality of the players. And he is a great example of that. We were all scared not only for the way he went down but for the reaction of the players that were next to him. Immediately he says he wants to continue and he scores the goal that helps us win the game.'

Arsenal will look to build on both the result and the renewed set piece threat as the Premier League title race continues to tighten at the top.