Arteta says Konsa's set piece goal has 'unlocked something' for Arsenal
Mikel Arteta believes Ezri Konsa's scrappy opener against Everton could be the moment that reignites Arsenal's set piece threat, after admitting he was frustrated it had taken so long for the Gunners to find the net from a dead ball situation this season.
Konsa bundled in the opener in Arsenal's 2-0 win over Everton at the Emirates on Saturday, nudging a corner over the line. Gabriel Magalhaes added the second from open play, heading home a Ben White cross to move Arsenal level on points with Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table.
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Set pieces were central to Arsenal's title winning campaign last season, and Arteta made clear just how much emphasis the club continues to put on that phase of the game in training.
'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.'
Frustration over missed chances
Arteta was candid about the fact Arsenal had gone without a set piece goal for some time despite generating plenty of chances from such situations, including in midweek Champions League action in Munich.
'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 for playing through injury scare
There was a nervy moment for Arsenal when Gabriel went down early in the second half appearing to be in discomfort, only minutes before he rose to head home the second goal.
Arteta praised the defender's response after the match. 'He is a clear example of when I talk about the mentality of the team,' Arteta said in his post-match press conference. '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.'
Gabriel's performance also drew high praise from Martin Keown on BBC's Match of the Day, who said: 'Gabriel is into his sixth season at Arsenal now and this guy is just a machine. 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,' as quoted by Metro.
With Arsenal now level on points at the top of the table, Arteta will be hoping Konsa's goal proves to be the catalyst for a set piece revival that played such a key role in last season's title triumph.
