Following Arsenal's 1-0 away victory over Aston Villa in the League Cup second round, manager Mikel Arteta attended a press conference.

Hi Mikel, congratulations on the win tonight. Can you speak a bit about Bukayo Saka? He was clearly the difference-maker tonight. Please discuss his impact on the match, and have you noticed he's also been performing very well early in the season?

Thank you, Josh. But before discussing individuals, I prefer to talk about the entire team tonight. I'm confident this valuable victory is a collective one that belongs to our whole squad. Everyone who participated in this match tonight in any capacity—whether as a starter, coming off the bench, or contributing behind the scenes—made a significant impact and brought positive change to the team today.

For our entire team and everyone at the club, this sends a very important message. With the squad depth and overall quality we currently have, if we can truly leverage this depth and allow everyone to step up and perform when needed, then over a long season, this will be an incredibly powerful weapon in our hands.

Mikel, we all know Arsenal lost to Aston Villa in two crucial matches last season, which significantly affected the title race. So does winning a tough match at their ground today bring a special sense of relief? Does this feel like a major breakthrough and an important step in your development?

Well, I was actually quite frustrated at that time, and I discussed it with the players. Seeing them collapse on the pitch, completely devastated, was very hard to accept. Yes, we've transformed that pain into motivation, bringing more belief into the match, and also gained a deeper understanding of the challenges ahead. Especially when facing a team that was very successful last season but suffered a heavy defeat just days ago, you have to expect them to respond strongly.

Moreover, this is a very difficult stadium to play in, and they always capitalize on key moments in big matches. Today we had to withstand the pressure, which we did, and we had to demonstrate complete dominance, which we also did, so I'm very pleased.

Conversely, Villa completed a comeback here last season, but today you showed very strong control. How do you view this?

It's completely different; it shows our maturity and the resilience of our players. We changed the momentum of the game, understood what the match demanded, and showed real leadership within the team. Everyone was truly able to control the ball, play a dominant phase with passing and pressing, and I thought they did it well.

Eze came off the bench and was key to winning the match. Ngoyo made his debut in very difficult circumstances; it's not easy emotionally to play here again, but he looked very calm, composed, and completely in control. For all these reasons, I think that's why we won the match.

Mikel, I want to follow up on what you just said about Eze. Around the same time last year, he seemed to be substituted in the first half, but today he became the hero coming off the bench—quite a stark contrast. You just said he played a crucial role in changing the game and ultimately winning it today. In what specific ways do you think he achieved this? Also, compared with your previous observations and interactions with him, what considerations made you trust him and bring him on at this most critical moment?

It comes entirely from my absolute trust in him. We all know well the technical quality he possesses. He's a top player who, once on the pitch, can instantly create danger and change the direction of play in a flash. After he came on today, he immediately created three very dangerous attacking moves with intelligent off-the-ball runs and beautiful passes, almost providing three one-on-one chances for our strikers against their goalkeeper.

But beyond attack, I also had to completely trust him in defense tonight. When Aston Villa frequently rotated personnel and made tactical adjustments on the right flank, especially when Matty Cash pushed forward to join the attack, our wing defense faced immense pressure. Last season, we made mistakes in defending this detail and lost a player, which ultimately resulted in a conceded goal. Today, I'm confident Eze clearly learned a deep lesson from last season. Whenever there was danger or a sign that the opponent was gaining momentum, he could always appear in the right defensive position with the quickest speed, bringing outstanding help and support to the entire team both in attack and defense; his performance was fantastic.

Mikel, it felt like a tight match, and you didn't even allow them a single shot on target throughout the match. Is this fighting spirit, determination, and tactical execution the key to winning these types of matches?

100% yes. Playing away in the Premier League, when you face teams with top squads and good managers, they know how to make things very difficult for you. You really have to stay completely focused, and I thought we did that very well, both collectively and individually, throughout the match.

I want to ask a question about the final stages of the transfer window. You've lost Trossard and Martinelli, and we expect Jesus to leave soon. You've only recruited Christos Tzolis for the left wing. Will you consider filling the gap on the left wing before the transfer window closes?

As I said, we're working to strengthen the squad, and we'll try to do so until tomorrow night. Over the last 24 hours, I've been largely disconnected from the outside world because I believed my energy and focus should be on the match. Now I'll be getting back involved with transfer matters.

Following up on that, do you feel you have enough variety in your attacking play and options, or do you need more personnel?

That depends on whether everyone stays healthy. We can talk about today, but the situation could change at any time. We know Saliba is absent, and there are injuries in the defense, so we know that's a major concern, and we have to do everything we can to address it. Mosquera also couldn't continue today, so we know that when you're competing on four fronts and playing the way we are, squad depth must be very strong, and we'll try our best to manage it.

Can you elaborate a bit on Mosquera's injury?

He's fine, but he felt like he was about to get injured. That's why we needed the bench we had, and that's why we had to bring Ngoyo on.

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