AFP, Southampton :
Mikel Arteta hailed Arsenal’s resilience as they avenged their FA Cup exit against Southampton with a 3-1 win in the Premier League rematch on Tuesday.
Arteta’s side saw their reign as FA Cup holders ended in a lacklustre 1-0 fourth round defeat at St Mary’s on Saturday.
But Arsenal made amends for that blow with a convincing success on their return to Southampton four days later.
Unfazed by Stuart Armstrong’s early strike for the hosts, Arsenal were ahead by half-time thanks to goals from Nicolas Pepe and the influential Bukayo Saka.
Alexandre Lacazette netted in the second half as Arsenal came from behind to win an away league game for the first time since Arteta took charge in December 2019.
Arsenal are up to eighth place after a fifth victory in their last six league matches, putting them in a rich vein of form ahead of Saturday’s visit from title contenders Manchester United.
After slipping towards the relegation zone in December, Arsenal are now just five points adrift of the top four.
Arteta believes that is down to his players’ mental strength.
