Arteta wants Arsenal to be ´kings of everything´ after Man Utd showing

Mikel Arteta said he wants Arsenal to be the “kings of everything” after the Gunners were praised for their effectiveness on set-pieces in their win over Manchester United.

Arsenal handed Ruben Amorim his first defeat as United boss on Wednesday, with Jurrien Timber and William Saliba on target as both goals came from corners.

The Gunners have utilised this weapon well under Arteta, scoring more goals from corners (22) than any other team in the Premier League since the start of last season.

It was also the first time the Red Devils had conceded two goals in this manner since a 3-1 defeat to Chelsea in 2014 (two), with Samuel Eto’o scoring both.

After the match, former Tottenham striker Dimitar Berbatov labelled Arsenal as the “new Stoke City”, though Arteta took those comments as a compliment towards his side.

“We want to be the kings of everything,” Arteta said.

“On set pieces, the best in the world; on high press, the best in the world; attacking in open spaces, the best in the world. Best atmosphere and stadium – the best at everything.

“Before, we didn’t score enough, we didn’t challenge, we didn’t win big games for 20 years. We want to be the best at everything.”

For the ultimate comparison, Stoke’s Premier League ratio under former manager Tony Pulis was 43.1%, with 81 set-piece goals from a total of 188 goals.

7 – Arsenal had more shots from corners (7) than they did from open play (6) against Manchester United. Indeed, the Red Devils conceded two goals from corners in a Premier League match for the first time since January 2014 (v Chelsea). Targeted. pic.twitter.com/NHnzmR0hXb

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 4, 202

Arsenal appointed Nicolas Jover as their set-piece coach in July 2021, with the Gunners scoring 26 goals from such routines in the Premier League in the 2023-24 season.

Along with that, 16 of those goals came from corners, matching the all-time top-flight record set by Oldham Athletic in 1992-93 and West Brom in 2016-17.

Arteta was asked when he realised the importance of set-pieces in the modern game, with the Arsenal boss citing his time at Everton as a player as to where that began.

“Probably when I was a player, because I understood at Everton how important they were and how difficult it was for the opposition,” Arteta added.

“When I came here as well, we had a period in some big matches where we suffered and were out. I went to City and immediately realised we had to do something about it.”