Arteta admits he prayed Tottenham wouldn't equalise in injury time
Arsenal held on for a pulsating 3-2 win over arch rivals Tottenham in the north London derby to keep their grip on top spot in the Premier League on Sunday.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg's own goal put Arsenal ahead before Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz netted to leave Arsenal in complete control. Cristian Romero and Son Heung-min struck for Tottenham after the interval to set up a nervous finish, but Arsenal clung on by their finger tips.
"I was praying when Spurs put the ball in our box. It was a really emotional game, a really tough place to come in this stadium and a tough team to play against," Arteta said.
"They have the players and the quality to commit a lot of players forward. We had to suffer and react and I’m very pleased that we did," he added.
Defeat was a bitter blow for fifth-placed Tottenham, who are seven points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa with two games in hand to keep alive their fading hopes of qualifying for the Champions League.
"We allowed them way too easy access to our goal. It's unacceptable at this level and we paid a price for it against a very good team," Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou said.
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