Mikel Arteta Hails Arsenal's Unsung Heroes After Big Week: 'We Haven't Done It Alone'

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta praised his players as ‘phenomenal’ following a momentous week that saw his team advance to the Champions League final and secure a crucial Premier League victory against West Ham United.

After the emotional high of defeating Atletico Madrid on Tuesday, Arsenal faced a tough away fixture at West Ham.

A late strike from Leandro Trossard in the 83rd minute sealed the win, re-establishing the Gunners' five-point lead at the top of the league table.

With the team still competing for two major trophies, Mikel Arteta expressed his delight with the squad's performance and the unwavering support from the fans.

"They've been phenomenal," he told the club’s media. "The courage, determination and quality they've shown all week as well, there's so much at stake with everything we've done for 10 months, and now is the moment that matters."

"The beauty of that is that we haven't done it alone, we've done it with our supporters, and they've been phenomenal, incredible. You can see what they've done today in this stadium yet again, so thank you, so, so much - it feels like a big moment."

The manager described the match as an "incredible afternoon" and a "top match" that featured two committed teams fighting for different objectives.

The game was not without its drama. A late Callum Wilson goal for West Ham was disallowed after a lengthy VAR review for a foul on goalkeeper David Raya. Arteta commended the officials for making a "brave" and correct call under immense pressure.

"I have been asking for them to be consistent and have sometimes been critical, but today they showed a lot of courage, and it was a really brave process," Arteta said.

"It gave the referee the opportunity to see the picture with full clarity... I think it's an obvious error, and the goal has to be disallowed."

The victory, which moves Arsenal closer to the title, came at a price, with both Ben White and Riccardo Calafiori sustaining injuries. However, Arteta highlighted the squad's resilience and the impact of his substitutes.

"We lost Ben and we had to adjust the team a little bit; then we lost Richy," he explained. "But the beauty of this is that the finishers are always ready to make the difference. They had an incredible impact - Martin [Odegaard] does an action that is just pure magic to set up Leo to score the goal."