Following Arsenal's 1-0 away victory against Aston Villa in the Premier League's second round, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was interviewed by Sky Sports.

Mikel, that was an unusual victory tonight. How would you summarize the match?

Very pleased. It was a big win, and it's extremely difficult to get three points here. I thought we deserved to win. I'd say we showed excellent team performance because when the starting eleven weren't enough, the substitutes who came on played a very important role, finished the match, and won it. Yes, I know how difficult it is to win here.

What makes Aston Villa so hard to break down? What was the key in the end?

That's what they've done over the last four years. Every top team struggles against them because they're very good, well-coached, have great players, have strong home support that gives them momentum, and they're excellent in transition. Once you let them run and lose possession in midfield, this team becomes very dangerous. But yes, I saw a lot of things from my team that pleased me.

We saw last season that you completely trusted your players to find solutions during matches, but now with the experience of winning last season, has your confidence in them grown even further this season?

I always trust my players. As for the level of trust, I don't know—I think it also depends on the specific moment. Last season we lost painfully here in this fixture with the last kick, and that feeling still lingers.

You touched on this briefly, but how pleased were you to see Guimarães and Nwaneri come on and help secure the victory, especially in the last eight minutes of extra time?

Very pleased. He helped set up the move that brought us the winning goal. We first brought on Bukayo (Saka), then Bruno (Guimarães), and they changed the dynamics of the game—it was brilliant. Similarly with Ezri, very composed, making every decision very calmly. And then when Zubimendi came on, I was also very pleased with all of them. That's what we needed.

With the big match against Chelsea next weekend, does tonight's victory feel particularly significant in terms of early-season momentum?

Every Premier League victory is important. It's only the second match, but it felt like we had to win this one. We know it's the same as last season. We understand the quality of this league and how difficult it is for every team to get points in the Premier League. So we should be very proud tonight.

Tomorrow is the last day of the transfer window, and you must feel relieved once it's over. Can you tell us whether there will be any more signings or departures?

I don't know. I've been "offline" for a day because I don't want to focus on anything related to it. My energy needs to be concentrated on the match, which is why the club has the right people to handle those matters.

There are constant rumors, especially around Alvarez. Do you expect something to happen there?

I don't know—that's something the management needs to handle.

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