Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta stated that “winning helps winning” after his team narrowly defeated Zurich to advance to the Europa League quarterfinals.
Kieran Tierney’s thunderous 20-yard drive into the bottom right corner ensured Arsenal finished first in Group A with 15 points, two more than PSV Eindhoven.
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It was also the Premier League leaders’ 10th win in 12 matches in all competitions, a streak Arteta hopes to continue with his side facing three more games before the World Cup in Qatar.
While Arsenal’s margin of victory over Zurich could have been greater, there were other positives for Arteta to take away.
After the break, the Spaniard was able to introduce Bukayo Saka to allay any fitness concerns, and he rested several key players ahead of Sunday’s Premier League trip to Chelsea.
The only criticism was that Arsenal did not put the game out of reach during a dominant first half performance in which Eddie Nketiah twice stung Zurich goalkeeper Yanick Brecher’s palms and Fabio Vieira saw his goal bound effort blocked from close range.
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As the visitors sought an equalizer, Adrian Guerrero’s left-foot effort was ruled out for offside, and Ukrainian forward Bogdan Viunnyk saw his rasping drive just fly wide of the top left corner.
Against Swiss clubs in European competition, Arsenal, however, held on and have now won all eight of their matches.
