Arteta: Arsenal players impressed me,  pays special tribute to Bukayo Saka

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has heaped praise on his Arsenal players for putting their Europa League disappointment “in the past” with a “dominant” 4-1 win against Crystal Palace. Arteta revealed after the game that he deliberated over whether to include Martinelli from the beginning, but his decision to do so more than paid off. Mikel Arteta says he was impressed with how his Arsenal side responded following their Europa League exit midweek in their  win over Crystal Palace. “Really pleased with the performance, the energy, the determination that we showed again, the way we controlled the game,” Arteta said after the 4-1 victory. Mikel Arteta paid tribute to brilliant Bukayo Saka who sent Arsenal eight points clear of Manchester City heading into the international break. Arteta expressed his great happiness at the reaction of his players in front of Crystal Palace, winning a great result a few days after they were eliminated from the European League by Sporting Lisbon. Mikel Arteta praised the mentality of Gabriel Martinelli for putting his penalty miss against Sporting CP behind him with his display in Arsenal's win over Crystal Palace. Arsenal strengthens the top of the English Premier League table with 69 points, 8 points ahead of second-placed Manchester City with 61 points.