Every word Mikel Arteta said on Trossard winner, Nwaneri cameo and Pep Guardiola comments

I have to check it, but I don’t think it was on that paper. It got very emotional. More emotional than we wanted certainly. But I’m very pleased, with the amount of situations that we created, how we dominated the game. After 2-0 the result should have been bigger, much bigger.

But this is the Premier League, this is the quality and the quality of Leicester. They scored two goals. But I’m really happy with how we dealt with that situation after. Emotionally super controlled, doing what we had to do, how consistently we attacked the spaces. I think we deserved to win the game.

Were you worried at the end?

Very worrying. Especially in that scenario. In theory, with the performance we produced, you should never get to this point, but this is the beauty of football in relation to other sports. We did it with the support of our supporters who were unbelievable again.

What do you make of the third being given as an own goal?

Hopefully not. Disappointed because he’s done so much today to score. His contribution to the team has been really sweet today.

Does it feel sweeter to win knowing City dropped points?

It’s the sixth game of the Premier League. We’re in September. We want to win every game and we’ll do our best to do that. That’s it. Let’s go game by game, and try to improve every week.

It felt like the game was in March rather with the tension. Did you feel that?

No. We talk about it like we’re in September. Regardless of what we do we are in September. We start to build the right platform for the season to be in the places and areas that we want. Obviously to do that we have to win, win, win. That’s the demands from the other teams in the league. We can only control what we do.

How pleased were you with the team’s ability to win in any context?

So happy. That’s what I told them. It got nasty, it got difficult, it was emotionally difficult to accept with the amount of situations that we created and the amount of goals that we should have scored. But we didn’t. So now what? You take ownership of yourself, you start to take more risks. I brought on Ethan and the guy, at 17-years-old, his first action is to go past two, three people and take a shot. I just love it. If you want to be here and play at that level, you need to have that courage. I really value that from the team today.

Does Saka work on the accuracy of his corners extra at the training ground?

That’s not an extra, that’s a game changer. When he’s there in front of goal and puts the ball in the back of the net, that’s a game changer. That’s what he needs to do consistently at this level. The others they have to do other stuff.

I think we generated 17 corners today. We should have scored from others. We need every possible tool to be a threat all the time.

Were you about to take Trossard off before he scored?

No.

Was Calafiori lucky to avoid a red?

I haven’t seen the action, but I got really worried because he gave the foul. I haven’t seen the replay.

Would you like to clarify what you meant by saying you’d been at City four years and you knew all about them?

I can repeat it very clear, I love Pep, I’ve admired him since I was 10-years-old. I respect him profoundly, I am so grateful for everything he did for me and continues to do for me and I consider him a friend. I love and respect all of the staff there because I worked with them for four years and when I said that I know them, I meant I know how hard they work.

I haven’t seen a human being work as hard as Pep and the coaches and everybody in that football club is consistently winning and the reason they are there is because they continue to maintain that hunger. This is exactly what I’ve learned and what I mean so it cannot be anymore clear than that.

If you want to I can repeat it but if someone wants to damage the relationship that’s not in my hands but that feeling is profound, he knows it, the staff knows it because I still maintain with them today, with the board, with the ownership, with everyone. In sport there has to be a will to win, they have it and I have it.

We have it for sure because we haven’t won it but they have it even if they have won it more than anybody else here. We have to learn and it has to be inspiring for us and it is for me, this is what I mean. It’s remarkable what they have achieved because they have that willing mentality, hopefully that is clear.