Kieran Tierney has bitten back at Ruben Neves following comments made by the Wolves midfielder in the wake of Arsenal’s 1-0 win at Molineux on February 10, with the Gunners enjoying another narrow victory over fellow top-four hopefuls.
After overcoming Bruno Lage’s side with 10 men in the West Midlands, jubilant scenes of celebration led the Portuguese star to suggest the north London heavyweights had celebrated “like they won the league”.
Those comments served as added motivation for Mikel Arteta’s men when they faced Wolves again on Thursday, with another dramatic contest seeing Alexandre Lacazette force a 95th-minute own goal from Jose Sa as the hosts prevailed 2-1 at Emirates Stadium.
What has been said?
With more wild celebrations on the back of that success, Scottish full-back Tierney told the club’s official website: “Obviously everyone knows the comments that were made. So we knew they were going to come out and try to beat us, and get their revenge. But we stood up to that challenge.
“They had a good start and got the goal they needed and wanted. But after that we controlled most of the game.
“It's a massive win, massive three points. Coming from behind isn’t easy in this league, especially against a team like Wolves. So we showed character tonight, we showed mentality, and I think we got what we deserved in the end.
“We never gave up for one second. As I say, a few of us believed we were going to get that goal, most of us believed. I think when you've got the belief anything can happen. That showed tonight.”
The bigger picture
Victory for Arsenal has lifted them into fifth spot, with only one point separating them from fourth-placed Manchester United.
The Gunners also boast two games in hand on the Red Devils, with Arteta pleased to see his side putting fate in their own hands when it comes to Champions League qualification.
He told Amazon Prime: “Well, we have the possibility obviously to go above [United], which is what we want, but we have to go game by game, now it's Watford, and the two games in hand really are not important.
“We still have 14 games to play and we have to make the most out of them. That's the objective.”
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