Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has messaged William Saliba after scoring an own goal in The Gunners’ 4-2 win Leicester City.
Arteta’s side took two wins out of two in the Premier League with an impressive performance at the Emirates Stadium as they aim to reach the top four for the first time since 2015-16.
A double by Gabriel Jesus, plus goals by Granit Xhaka and Gabriel Martinelli secured the win, but Saliba shot the ball into the other net after 53 minutes.
The Gunners were leading 2-0 at the time and it temporarily put the Foxes back in the game at 2-1, but Xhaka scored just two minutes later to restore the tie with two goals.
After 74 minutes, there was another nerve-wracking moment as Leicester’s James Maddison made it 3-2, but Martinelli sealed the win with Arsenal’s fourth.
After the game, Arteta refused to blame 21-year-old central defender Saliba and insisted that his young defender learn from the experience.
“Yes, we paid the bill, but the great thing is we didn’t really because we won the game,” said Arteta.
“It’s much easier to learn when that happens. I am happier today than last week with [Crystal] Palace because of the way he played after that, I think it’s incredible.”
He added: “The goal we conceded was obviously an own goal from Willy and a disappointing moment, but I’ve never seen the reaction of our crowd in football, it was just incredible.
“I am so proud to play for them. You don’t see that in football, you just don’t see it the way they supported him afterwards.’
Saliba has been tipped for a big season in north London and impressed with Arsenal’s opening win over Crystal Palace, making his debut at the top level.
He joined Arsenal in 2019 but it took three years to break into the team and impressed on loan at Saint-Etienne, Nice and Marseille in France.
He was named Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year last season when he helped Marseille finish second to Paris Saint-Germain and qualify for the Champions League.
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