Mikel Arteta is bringing back Arsenal's famous passing philosophy, according to Bukayo Saka.
The Gunners progressed to the fifth round of the FA Cup with a 2-1 victory over Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium on Monday night.
Saka opened the scoring with just five minutes on the clock, as he finished off a flowing move by smashing the ball into the top corner of the net past Cherries goalkeeper Mark Travers.
The 18-year-old turned provider in the 26th minute, with Eddie Nketiah getting on the end of his dangerous low cross to double the visitors' advantage.
Sam Surridge pulled one back for Bournemouth in stoppage time, but Arsenal held on to maintain their recent progress under Arteta.
Next Match
The Gunners have shown significant signs of improvement during the Spaniard's first month at the helm, and Saka is delighted to see the club's core values being restored.
“Mikel’s trying to bring back the philosophy, the Arsenal passing way, and I think we played really good football in the first half,” Saka told BT Sport post-match.
The teenage winger added on his relationship with Brazilian forward Gabriel Martinelli, who set up his goal against the Cherries: "[Martinelli & I] train a lot together, we speak a lot, we’re good friends, we speak about how we’re going to beat the defenders, get in behind and score goals.”
Nketiah's decisive first-half strike marked his first in an Arsenal shirt since being recalled from a loan spell at Leeds.
Arteta is eager for the 20-year-old to continue his development at the Emirates rather than secure another temporary move away from the club, and the striker is glad to be back in familiar surroundings.
"It's nice to be back. I had a great experience at Leeds. It's a dream to play for Arsenal and I'm grateful for this opportunity," Nketiah said.
“I think we started really sharp, played some great football, everyone was at it. That’s what we’ve been building on with Mikel, everyone’s fighting for each other and working hard."
Arsenal will now turn their attention back to the Premier League, with a tough trip to Burnley on the cards on Sunday.
Arteta's men will then take in a two-week rest as the winter break comes into effect, before welcoming Newcastle to the Emirates on February 16.
