Clean Sheet No. 183 and Crucial Win

“We really needed to seize the full points and I’m glad we were able to. We were playing a defensive and well organised team. We maintained the game under control basically from the start till the end, but the goal only game towards its close. I think we deserved it for our activity – we went after a win till the last second,” said Petr.

“We didn’t have that many opportunities in the first half, whereas there were plenty in the second. Unfortunately Ben Foster was their strongest man and was able to deal with most of them. Luckily, he did finally give in in the 87th minute,” stated Petr.

Even at 0-0 Petr firmly believed the Gunners would eventually prevail. “The chances were always there and I was affirming myself one of them would eventually work out. In the end we ironically scored from one of the most minor ones, but what’s important is that Olivier Giroud found a tiny bit of space and headed it in,” described Petr.

He wasn’t overly busy himself. “These games are the worst for goalkeepers. There’s never much to do during the match but there were a couple dangerous corner kicks and you really need to watch out for quick counter-attacks. They only sent one mild strike my way. We defended efficiently and barely let them do anything at all,” Petr commented on his 183rd Premier League clean sheet.

He had to wait for eight whole games, the last one of which he managed to secure on 22 October against Middlesborough. “It’s true I had to wait for quite a while. There were games in which I conceded a penalty, or the ball would sometimes just find its way in after a struggle in front of the goal – sometimes even towards the very end. Now I’m just happy we didn’t let them score a single time and, on the other hand, a single goal on our part decided the game,” stated Petr.

None of the rivals heading the table hesitated in yesterday’s set of games and therefore it was all the more important for Arsenal to retain contact. “The table requires to keep winning and so there was no room for further losses,” added Petr.

Arsenal are next to face Crystal Palace at home on 1 January.