Arteta:”It was a convincing win”

The Gunners hammered a poor West Brom side 4-0 this evening and the result means Mikel Arteta’s side are now up to 11th in the table, just six points from third spot.

Mikel Arteta has said the main reason for his side’s recent form is simply down to confidence. Three wins on the bounce with a 3-1 win over Chelsea on Boxing Day then a narrow 1-0 win over Brighton and then tonight’s result all point to a side that is now playing with supreme confidence.

Because of the heavy snowfall, there were fears the match could be postponed however luckily enough the game was allowed to go ahead.

A double from Alexandre Lacazette along with a superb solo effort from left-back Kieran Tierney and a Bukayo Saka goal saw the Gunners blow West Brom away on their own patch.

Gunners boss Mikel Arteta spoke with BT Sport after the game:

“It was a convincing win,”. “To win three on the spin over Christmas in the Premier League is not easy. 

“In phases when the weather was better and the conditions were a little easier, I felt we played some excellent football. 

“At the end we had to manage some moments and the conditions.

“The first two goals, the first action with Kieran was terrific, the second one with the combination play was fantastic as well.

“The clean sheet, that’s two in a row now, and that gives us a platform to win games. 

“We look more of a threat, and more creative and our attacking play was much better today.”

Thanks to the victory, Arsenal are now astonishingly only six points from third place and Mikel Arteta is happy with his side’s progress over the last few weeks.

“I am so happy that we were able to achieve the target we had,” Arteta said. “The table looks completely different.

“The energy around the place is much better. Wins bring a lot of confidence and you can see that in the way the team played.”

Gunners left-back Kieran Tierney was simply outstanding against West Brom, scoring a goal and also assisting in a Lacazette goal and his manager was full of praise for the Scottish full-back.

“He has been fantastic since I’ve been here,” Arteta said. “Since he got back from his shoulder injury he’s been fantastic.

“He is a lad that gives you everything. He is improving, is willing to do better and better, and brings a real energy and quality to the team.”