Mikel Arteta admitted that doubts crept into his mind concerning his side as Arsenal narrowly avoided a Tottenham comeback in a North London derby, that left the Spaniard sweating.
Arteta's nerves were tested in the final minutes as doubts over the Gunners' ability to earn three points started to creep in after Spurs pulled two goals back. Ultimately, Arsenal were able to hold on to maintain their advantage at the top of the table.
The Premier League leaders coasted to a 3-0 lead in the opening half as a Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg own goal, in addition to Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz goals, ensured a healthy advantage. David Raya's error allowed an opportunity for Cristian Romero to reduce the deficit before Declan Rice's foul provided Son Heung-min a chance which he duly converted.
Following the win, Arteta expressed his faith in his team but admitted they tested his belief as the clock ticked down on Sunday. The Spanish coach accepted it had been a demanding period for the north London side despite their readiness to compete.
He said: "Yeah definitely [I have faith]. In the last few minutes, I was doubting it a bit. But they give me no reason [to doubt]. I told you before they were going to be ready on Sunday. Emotionally it's been a very demanding month, but yesterday I had to stop them in training because they wanted more. That's a good sign.
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The Arsenal boss believes his team's ability to convert such a result showed progress from 12 months before when they wilted under the pressure of a title challenge. Arteta acknowledged the margins were small but the Gunners' ability to earn three points on this occasion showed progress, and he believes they can handle the coming pressure.
"I think so. When you win it's always the case," he said. "Last season we didn't, because we went to West Ham and we missed a penalty, and against Liverpool, we conceded in the 91st minute and then you're not capable.
Arsenal recorded a 3-2 win over Tottenham in the north London derby (Arsenal FC via Getty Images)"At the end, the judgement is going to be based on that outcome. If they got the goal in the last minute to make it 3-3 then we wouldn't have been ready. The margins are so small.
"Don't get carried away with yourself. We want to be better. There are margins for improvement. Go again against Bournemouth because it's going to be really tough."
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