Every word Mikel Arteta said on Sporting victory, statement win and Gabriel injury

Is that the best European away win under your tenure?

For sure. Especially against the opponent that we played in their home. I don’t think they’ve lost here in 18 months. They’ve been in top form, they’ve been better than everyone they’ve played here. To play to that level with the fluidity that we’ve done today, very pleased.

After Inter you said you were pleased with the display but didn’t get the result. Is today proof of that?

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It’s true that the result is very different. But with the performance and identity of what I saw against Inter I was very pleased. I knew that in that pathway good things were going to happen in Europe. Today we’ve been able to do that and replicate it and be more efficient in the opposition half. Very pleased because the team has played with so much courage. They are so good and watching them live I realise how good they are.

How good was Odegaard?

He was excellent again. I think all the boys were. If not you don’t have the dominance and the scoreline that we’ve managed to get out of the game today. They were all exceptional today.

You said you wanted the team to be more ruthless. Is that what pleased you most?

Yes. You cannot speculate. We had a period after 39, 40 minutes where we did that and I had to stop it because that’s the tendency that the team wants to do, to control it. We’re not very good at that. Unfortunately they scored very early in the second half and that created some momentum. We dealt with it really well. It’s a big performance a big win and we’re really happy.

Is this a landmark win?

For sure. Because the performance was there a few times when we have played big teams. We played PSG and we were exceptional again. We played Bayern and were exceptional. But we made some mistakes and it cost us That’s the level. We have to be able to cope. You have to make it happen. That creates belief. We need that consistency because the ability is there.

What’s changed since the break to get you playing so well?

A lot. We were training with 11 or 12 players for long periods. Some of them they could not train or play. Now almost everyone is fit and available. It’s true that we’re still managing certain players. The level raises no doubt if we have the availability we’re going to be a really good side.

Was the Gabriel sub injury related?

We don’t know. We had to make the change because he was feeling some discomfort. I was about to make the change for Raz [Raheem Sterling], poor thing, I couldn’t make the sub. We had to get him out.

Is this Partey’s best form?

Fully agree with you. He had one of the best performances that I’ve seen from him especially with the way he dominated the game. That’s the level he can play. This year he’s been so consistent as well because he’s always available - that’s a big thing. He’s a massive player for us.

You more than doubled your tally of goals in the competition tonight. What was the key to that?

I don’t think it’s about that. We were so good. You have to be so good in every department. We suffered as well in many moments in the game. But we were so effective and efficient when we started to attack the opposition goal. Today that was the big difference.