Arsenal

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Aston Villa (kick-off 17:30).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• On Riccardo Calafiori potentially playing against Aston Villa tomorrow, he said: "There a few decisions to make with the medical staff this afternoon, whether he can play in this game or the next one."

• He added that none of Arsenal's longer-term absentees are closer to a return.

• Arteta was asked about Arsenal's well-documented pursuit of a striker and said: "At the moment we don't have them, we are trying to find the solution. We will have to see what we can do. We are actively always evolving the squad."

• On beating north London rivals Tottenham and looking forward to facing Aston Villa: "I loved the attitude that the team played with, a great occasion in front of our people, the atmosphere was brilliant but we move on to the next one, that's a big game. We will try as hard as possible to prepare in the best way to win. We know the difficulty of the team that they are, that's why they are performing so well. Great players, and a great coach."

• The Gunners are in the hunt for the title again and are currently four points behind leaders Liverpool. On the title race, Arteta said: "If we refer to the stats, the stats said that we were the best team in the league but the reality is that we didn't win the league so we still need to improve and be better. We are playing to win and that's exactly where we want to be. The pressure comes from within. You have to thrive to be the best that you possibly can be."

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Image source, Getty Images

Arsenal lost this fixture 2-0 in April - that was the last time they were beaten at Emirates Stadium.

They have not lost consecutive home league games against Aston Villa since their first two meetings in the Premier League.

Arsenal have agreed personal terms and a huge wage increase with 25-year-old Real Sociedad and Spain midfielder Martin Zubimendi. (Football Transfers), external

Meanwhile, Real Madrid are keen to sign 23-year-old Arsenal and France centre-back William Saliba in the summer. (Foot Mercato - in Spanish), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Alex Howell
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

It is always a big thing when a team is able to beat their rivals, but for Arsenal the win against Tottenham could not have come at a better time.

The Gunners had just come out of a tough week where they lost matches to the Carabao Cup semi-final and the FA Cup to Newcastle United and Manchester United.

The win over Spurs saw Mikel Arteta celebrate animatedly at full-time with fans around Emirates Stadium were delighted to get one over their rivals as well as keep the pressure up on Liverpool at the top of the table.

With the results in midweek, for the first time in the season the Premier League title race was not the main discussion point.

It was not a surprise that the win moved Arsenal four points away from Liverpool. Although the Reds have a game in hand, seeing Arsenal so close is a reminder that Arteta's side are not out of the race just yet.

Alongside all of that, a starring performance from academy graduate Myles Lewis-Skelly has lifted a mood that had been threatening to take root in north London.

Image source, Getty Images

Myles Lewis-Skelly says he "put on a show" for his grandma after becoming the second youngest Arsenal player to start a north London derby.

Only Cesc Fabregas in the 2004-05 season has been a younger starter than 18-year-old Lewis-Skelly against Tottenham with the teenage saying his performance was inspired by his loved ones in the crowd at Emirates Stadium.

"My mum is here, my grandma, my friends," Lewis-Skelly told Optus Sport after the game. "I had to put on a show for my grandma and make sure I didn't look soft in front of her. I had to make sure I was winning my tackles for her and hopefully she is proud of me.

"It was amazing. It was everything that I lived up to in my dreams. I couldn't believe it. I had to take in every moment. It's all pressure but this is what we live for. It's moments like this we live for. It was a derby, we needed to win and that's what we did.

"I feel like a million dollars."

The 2-1 victory was the England youth international's fourth Premier League start for Arsenal and he had the joint highest successful pass rate of any Arsenal player, only misplacing two passes in the 87 minutes he played.

Afterwards, boss Mikel Arteta described his display as "phenomenal."

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your thoughts after Wednesday's Premier League game between Arsenal and Tottenham.

Here are some of your comments:

Arsenal fans

Sam: Had enough of the overreactions - it's time to get behind the team, and trust MikelArteta. You didn't hear him talking about strikers for various reasons (common sense), not because he doesn't think we need one. Roll on our end-of-season drive

Lily: A great game of football with a lot of nervous moments. Arsenal played well and created some superb chances but the amount of scrambling in the box and especially right in front of the keeper highlights how desperate we are for a forward player.

Weenson: It was a most welcome win despite its laboured approach. While that is in part down to the absence of a cutting-edge striker, (how many of these are available? ) let's remember that thanks to and under this manager, we are still in the hunt while others are struggling.

Alan: An unnecessarily narrow victory against a poor Spurs side. The team worked hard to break down a side that showed no attacking ambition but there are several players who are just not good enough to get us to the title. Raheem Sterling is too slow and Kai Havertz simply isn't able to score, despite always being numerous given gilt-edged chances. There were some notable performances - Declan Rice and Gabriel were at their reliable best and Lewis-Skelly put in a fine performance. Are we good enough to win the Premier League? Without some January transfer action, I'm afraid not.

Tottenham fans

Tom: Disappointing result to take. We lacked composure against Arsenal's press, leading to giving the ball away needlessly. I thought all three goals were terrible scraps. Both teams didn't play well. If Antonin Kinsky had saved the second goal, then 1-1 would've been a fair result. I can't wait to have some senior players back to help bring experience so the young ones can thrive.

Steve: Disappointing against our big rivals of course. Energy and work rate are minimum requirements and we didn't get that. However, the injuries are a major factor on both quality and energy and we need reinforcements, but I want us to judge Ange Postecoglou and the squad at the end of the season.

Gordon: Chopping and changing managers is not the answer for Spurs. Injuries have been cruel to Ange and we can argue over his tactics not being adaptable; however, the likes of Archie Grey and Lucas Bergvall are coming on leaps and bounds and are the future of Tottenham so clearly the coaching team must be doing something right. Senior players in the squad have to look at that themselves in the mirror and ask if they are doing enough? Everyone at the club has to take responsibility for the current situation and see what they can do to improve it.

Andy: Yet again this season, Arsenal didn't have to get out of second gear to beat us and kept us at arms' length. We look badly coached while every Arsenal player knew their role in the team - where to be and what to do, with or without the ball. You can't say the same for Spurs. We are a haphazard, inconsistent side, riddled with mistakes and with no shape or cohesion. We aren't exciting to watch - we are embarrassing.

Phil McNulty
Chief football writer

Image source, Daily Star and Daily Express

The stakes are always high in the north London derby, but much was riding on this one for Mikel Arteta and his team, as a season that started with so much optimism and expectation threatened to flounder.

The scenes at the end of this win over Spurs were wild, noisy and laced with relief as much as celebration. Arsenal had known anything less than victory over their arch-rivals would put a serious dent in their title pursuit.

It demonstrated just how much this 2-1 win meant. Arsenal are now four points behind Liverpool, having played a game more, but this must now be the catalyst for action on and off the pitch.

Arsenal, as is their habit, made a very large meal of beating a mediocre Spurs, struck down by injuries but still well short of the standards expected.

The door is ajar for Arsenal and Arteta, but they will struggle to open it any further unless they do what seems plainly obvious and sign a striker to give them a cutting edge.

Arteta told BBC Sport: "The attitude we played with, not feeling sorry for ourselves, was phenomenal. We played 120 minutes three days ago.

"We had some big chances and big situations. At the end, we had to suffer more than we wanted. When you have the opportunities, you have to take them. We are on a really consistent run in the Premier League.

"It is now about recovery, then Aston Villa on Saturday, going and going."

And he added: "We know how important this game was and is. It's a gift with which we can make out supporters happy."

Now he needs to deliver an even bigger gift in the shape of a clinical finisher who can ensure this win is not a false dawn in Arsenal's Premier League title challenge.

Image source, The Telegraph and Daily Mirror

Arsenal are considering options to reinforce their attack with Sporting's Sweden striker Viktor Gyokeres, 26, and Brentford's Cameroon forward Bryan Mbeumo, 25, on their list. (L'Equipe - in French), external

Celtic are close to agreeing pre-contract terms with Arsenal's Scotland left-back Kieran Tierney, 27, whose contract expires at the end of the season. The Scottish champions are also exploring signing him on loan this month. (Sky Sports), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Watch highlights and analysis from eight midweek Premier League fixtures.

If you missed Match of the Day, you can catch up now on BBC iPlayer.

Listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Chelsea 2-2 Bournemouth

• Nottingham Forest 1-1 Liverpool

• Everton 0-1 Aston Villa

Image source, Getty Images

Myles Lewis-Skelly became the second-youngest Arsenal player to start in a North London derby in the Premier League (18y 111d), after Cesc Fabregas, who started home and away as a 17-year-old in the 2004-05 campaign.

Image source, Getty Images

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, speaking to TNT Sports: "The boys were outstanding today. Less than 72 hours ago we played 120 minutes in another competition that we went out of - that is not easy psychologically. So the way we performed and played today was exceptional.

"We made it harder for ourselves. I think we deserved to score at least one or two more but we had to suffer. We showed that have the capacity to do that too. The attitude, the purpose and intensity that the players played with was really good.

"We were incredibly good in the last game against United and we ended up losing somehow. It is all about the next game. It is great that we won today. We can now enjoy that for a few hours then Villa.

"My confidence comes from seeing the players and how they perform every day. If my confidence comes and goes with each result then we should not be doing this.

"We cannot feel sorry for ourselves. What we can control is the performances and we have been doing that consistently. The results are unfortunate sometimes and you don't always get what you deserve. However, long to medium term, I am sure we will do.

On if they are looking to recruit new signings: "Yes, for sure because we lost two big players - Bukayo [Saka] who could be out for up to three months and then Gabby who will be out for a long, long, long time. We are going to try [in this window] for sure. We are actively looking. We will try. Let's see what we can get.

On Myles Lewis-Skelly: "He was phenomenal today. He is a real personality. He has so much trust in himself. He has that attitude about him. He had to play against Johnson and Kulusevski here, and manage the occasion, it is not easy. He was top."

Image source, Getty Images

Arsenal forward Leandro Trossard, speaking to TNT Sports: "This is what we needed. We all know that we have to win these games against Spurs. You can see what it means to the fans, they are buzzing. It is a great night for us.

"We want to win every game, especially these derby games. We were up for it today and managed to take three points.

"It is an amazing feeling [to score], especially when it ends up being the winner as well. I am just happy for everyone. We work so hard day in and day out. Now we need to look forward and build on it.

"The hardest thing in football is to get the ball in the net. I think that we could have scored more today as well but obviously we are happy with the three points.

"We always want to put pressure on them [Liverpool] but we can only look at ourselves. Try to win every game starting today. We need to look forward, take all the positives and enjoy this win."

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Arsenal's performance

What did you make of Tottenham's display?

Come back to this page on Thursday to find a selection of your replies

There are four Premier League fixtures on Wednesday and we will bring you every moment.

• Everton v Aston Villa - listen on the BBC Sport website and app

• Leicester v Crystal Palace - listen on the BBC Sport website and app

• Newcastle v Wolves - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Arsenal v Tottenham (20:00) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

All kick-off times 19:30 GMT unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

Image source, Getty Images

Who is the north London derby bigger for? I would have to say Arsenal this time around.

It has been a disappointing week for the Gunners, losing the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final to Newcastle and then being knocked out of the FA Cup by Manchester United on Sunday - both at home.

The manner of those defeats, especially against a 10-man United, have not sat well with the fans.

There has been chat around Mikel Arteta's management and whether he can win the Gunners silverware, and that is because, although their home record was strong, their performances have not been overly convincing in recent weeks.

A derby win would not completely squash that conversation, but it could perhaps move it to the periphery.

Gabriel Jesus is also the latest name added to the long-term injury list and given Bukayo Saka's absence it feels the club really need a boost, and a victory over Tottenham always provides that.

Arsenal must take the chance to narrow the gap to Liverpool, who dropped points at Nottingham Forest on Tuesday.

The title race is not over in January.

Nedum Onuoha was speaking to BBC Sport's Katie Stafford

As Arsenal and Tottenham renew their rivalry on the pitch on Wednesday evening, we asked our fan contributors for each club to go head to head off it.

Each supporter was asked where the showdown might be won and lost.

Here is what Oli Price-Bates from Fresh Arsenal, external thinks...

And this is what Anna Howells at Spurs XY, external had to say...

Image source, Getty Images

Mikel Arteta has called for Arsenal supporters to create "the best atmosphere that the Emirates has seen" for his side's vital north London derby against Tottenham on Wednesday evening.

The Gunners welcome their local rivals to Emirates Stadium on the back of consecutive home defeats which risk derailing their season - against Newcastle in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final and an FA Cup third-round penalty shootout to Manchester United.

"There are a lot of things that happen which are very difficult to control and to understand," Arteta said. "But there are ones that are in our hands. Let's create the best atmosphere that the Emirates has seen. This is something that is in our hands. And if we want it, we will create it.

"The players and staff are the first ones to embrace that and hopefully the fans will follow us because it is crucial for Tottenham and the rest of the matches this season.

"I cannot describe how much it helps the narrative, and the energy across the club. We have experienced it before: a negative one and a positive one. And what was the outcome? So it is our choice."

Pressure on Kai Havertz to rediscover his goalscoring form will increase after it was confirmed Gabriel Jesus will have surgery on an ACL injury.

The Germany international has scored 12 times across 27 matches this season but missed key chances against both Newcastle and Manchester United.

"What Kai brings to the team, like many other players this season, hasn't been as prolific in terms of the numbers we have scored," Arteta said. "But they produce incredible things for the team, and certainly Kai is one of them.

"In terms of goals, if you look at the past 10 years, apart from (Cristiano) Ronaldo and (Lionel) Messi, there is not a single player who has been stable with expected goals and finishing quality.

"It's very volatile."

Arsenal have had a bad week and right now it looks like Tottenham have a better chance of winning a trophy this season than they do.

People are quite rightly pointing out that the Gunners are missing chances and, with Bukayo Saka out injured, they are just lacking that spark in attack.

Having said all that, maybe they will find it again here, because I think the way Spurs play will suit Arsenal.

By that, I mean Mikel Arteta's side can soak up pressure and counter-attack, and even without Saka or a recognised centre-forward, I think they will get chances in this game. It is whether they take them this time. I am backing them to stick a couple away.

Of course this derby is really important to Ange Postecoglou and Tottenham in their situation, but the expansive way they play means it is tall order to expect an unfamiliar defence and new goalkeeper to step up again.

I do see Spurs scoring, but they give up a lot of chances. Arsenal have to win this game to hang on in the title race, and I think they will.

Sutton's prediction: 2-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here