Mikel Arteta addressed the performance of his players in their Carabao Cup quarter-final victory, reports vaval.com.   Having edged past Crystal Palace 1-0 in the Premier League in October, Arsenal expected a difficult duel against a stubborn opponent, who needed minimal openings to create a threat. After a fast start, momentum ground down for the Gunners, who conceded a late leveller from Marc Guehi.
 
However, they held their nerve in the penalty shootout, slotting away eight penalties on the way to a semi-final spot for the second successive year and a double header against London rivals, Chelsea.
 
“I’m very happy. We’re in the semifinal, which is where we wanted to be. I’m really happy considering the amount of changes that we’ve made – the cohesion and the energy and the quality that the team showed against a team that is very, very well organised and concedes very few chances.”
 
“We generated a lot, and the margin should have been much bigger after 94 minutes. It wasn’t, and when that happens, the (other) teams have the quality to hurt you in any set-piece, and we conceded the goal. That was emotionally tough to accept after the way the game went.
 
“But I think we stayed calm, we showed great composure and quality in the penalty shootout, and I’m very happy as well for Kepa Arrizabalaga, that at the end he made the last save and we are through.
 
“I think today the margin should have been much bigger – it should have been three or four, and then you’re not worried about what happens in the last minutes.
 
“I wanted a bigger margin: I know there is a team that doesn’t need much. In one or two passes, they can attack your box and hurt you. And we discussed that as well. I wanted to keep everybody on their toes and alive, and understand the importance of the game. And the margins are very small when you want to win trophies, so we have to pay attention to every detail to achieve that.
 
“What we have to do is continue to generate the chances that we do and concede nothing. I think we conceded only one shot again. And do that and trust the players. They showed great composure and quality in the penalty shootout. We had some very big open chances today to score goals, and we didn’t. So trust them, keep training and try to keep improving.”