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Mikel Arteta reaction — Arsenal boss speaks after comeback win over Spurs in North London Derby

Arsenal didn’t let an early concession deter their derby hopes, and Mikel Arteta is thrilled with his Gunners after a 2-1 comeback win over Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday.

[ MORE: Recap, highlights from Arsenal 2-1 Spurs ]

The North London derby win comes with the added bonus of passing Nottingham Forest and closing ground on Liverpool after the two mentioned sides drew 1-1 on Tuesday.

[ MORE: Ange Postecoglou reaction ]

Don’t expect Arteta to be drawn into Premier League title talk, but the Spaniard was pleased with his team’s performance — even if it was in the balance until late thanks to some substandard finishing from his side at the Emirates.

Here are some thoughts from Arteta as well as Leandro Trossard and Declan Rice, who felt Arsenal “could’ve scored 10" goals in the second half.

Mikel Arteta reaction (video) after Arsenal’s comeback win over Spurs in North London Derby

“We were outstanding today from the first minute. We were really at it, really intense, showed a lot of quality, played with real purpose to hurt them with and without the ball. And we created an unbelievable atmosphere, which helps. We know how important [the derby] is to everybody. It’s a gift to make our supporters very happy, and I’m sure we have accomplished that and they are very proud of everything.”

On going behind despite dominating early: “Thinking back, Newcastle, we should’ve beat them. Manchester United, the same. But the way we reacted today, the attitude we played with, not feeling sorry for ourselves, to just keep with the system, it was phenomenal. And we played less than 72 hours ago, 120 minutes, so proud of them.”

On Porro hitting the post late with possible equalizer: “We had so many big big chances we didn’t finish. At the end we had to suffer more than we wanted but we got there in the end. I’m very happy.”

On chipping away at Liverpool’s title lead: “When you have opportunities you have to take them. That’s for sure. Today we’ve done it. We’ve been on a consistent run in the Premier League, again performing in a really consistent way. Tomorrow is recovery and Saturday against Villa is going to be a really tough one again. We have to keep going and going.”

Arteta: Arsenal 'showed a lot of quality' v. Spurs
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta shares his positive remarks regarding his side's comeback win over Spurs at the Emirates.

Leandro Trossard reaction — What it means to win derby, how it can affect title hopes

“This is what we needed. We all know we have to win these games, especially against Spurs. ... We want to win every game, especially these games. We know what it means to the fans. We were up for it today and we took the three points.”

Scoring in the North London derby: “It’s amazing feeling, especially if it gives you the win as well. I’mjust happy for everyone. We work so hard day-in and day-out. Today is a day and now we need to look forward.”

How important to score multiple goals: “We’re pushing every day and the hardest thing in football is to get the ball in the net. We could’ve scored more today as well but we’re obviously we’re happy with the three points so let’s celebrate tonight.”

On kicking on now: “We always want to pressure on them but we can just look at ourselves and try to win every game starting today. We need to take all the positives from today and enjoy this win.”

Declan Rice on winning the derby — ‘Could’ve scored 10'

“It’s a derby, we can’t lose that.. We had that fire in our stomach. We knew Liverpool drew yesterday but we’re playing our rivals.”

On producing a lot of chances: “Pure domination for the first half. We probably scored five or six first half and could’ve had another 10 second half. When teams open up against us... that’s the first time that’s happened here in ages. Teams usually come here and put 10 behind the ball. Tonight they opened up and that suits our game. You could see that tonight. We were just missing that edge that was putting the ball in the back of the net.”

On defending prowess: “We’ve been solid defensively. We know what we want as a team, and we’ve gotta keep pushing.”