It was a massive opportunity to show who we are because they are a terrific team and they are so difficult to play against. On Viktor Gyokeres' penalty being overturned: "If it's not a clear and obvious error, VAR should not intervene."
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta spoke to Sky Sports after his side staged a late comeback against Newcastle United: "I feel pride. I think we fully deserved the win after the way we played, performed and competed. With the chances we generated, we deserved to win even if we did it in a dramatic way.
"That's how you get to a different level, by going through those moments and taking lessons from it. It was a massive opportunity to show who we are because they are a terrific team and they are so difficult to play against. The level of consistency and quality we showed was top.
"We want to achieve the next level and to do that you have to come to these places and you have to win. You have to find a way to do it. It was tremendous."
On making a lot of attacking substitutions: "We had to throw everything we had. Nick Pope was exceptional, fair play to him, but we believed and we fully deserved to win it."
On Viktor Gyokeres' penalty being overturned: "If it's not a clear and obvious error, VAR should not intervene."
Goalscorer Mikel Merino also spoke to Sky Sports after scoring against his old club: "It is unbelievable to win these kinds of games, late winners are the best. Obviously from my perspective, it is even greater. Coming back here [St James' Park] is always big for me, I have big memories here and it was an amazing point in my life, but also being able to score and help the team is incredible.
"It is always great to see old faces and old friends when I come here. I was only here for one year but it is still a big part of my life and my career. So to come here and score a winner, a header again, in the same goal that I scored in for Newcastle is magical."
On whether this result will help strengthen their mentality: "Maybe for the fans or for you guys, but not for us. We know how well we have been playing to be putting on the kind of performances we have been. We have been creating as well.
"Winning the way we won here shows the character of the team, how much we trust each other and how confident we are. That doesn't change, no matter the result. We are confident. We have an amazing team, amazing staff and amazing fans, so we are ready for it."
Did you know?
- Arsenal scored their 35th and 36th goals from corners in the Premier League since the start of the 2023-24 season - 15 more than any other side in this period (21 for Chelsea and Tottenham).
- Mikel Merino is Arsenal's top scorer across all competitions (9) and the Premier League (7) in 2025. Four of his nine goals this year have been scored with his head, with no Premier League player netting more headers in this period.
Category: General Sports
