A win is more important than a record clean sheet

“The result is far more important than a record clean slate. I’m happy we managed and that we secured three points. It was no walk in the park, we had to defend thoroughly towards the end,” Petr admitted.

The Gunners managed to score two goals in the first half. “We did great and you could say we basically scored from each goal opportunity. After the break City opened up a bit and scored a fantastic goal, though it was also a bit lucky. Then they put us under more pressure. You could tell that goal really lifted their spirits. But we persisted with our effective teamwork and so I think our three points are well-deserved,” Petr evaluated the game.

“It’s a shame we didn’t score from another goal opportunity during the second half, since we could have decided the outcome earlier that way. Hart made sure he had City’s back on two different occasions,” he added.

“It’s important we managed to provide a response to Leicester’s win. If we had lost, we would have left a five-point gap between them and ourselves. This way we’re so much closer. It was a match for six points to us and I’m happy we did well,” stated Petr.

He did not have the possibility of a record clean slate on his mind. “When we conceded, I wasn’t concerned with the fact that I wouldn’t be able to break the record, but rather with the fact that we would lose points as a result. Fortunately, that didn’t turn out to be the case,” said the Arsenal goalie.

The Gunners will be quite pre-occupied during the next couple of weeks. They are due to appear in the following matches: Southampton on 26 December, Bournemouth on 28 December, and Newcastle on 2 January. On paper, these are all weaker opponents.

“That doesn’t mean anything because the Premier League keeps proving that anyone could potentially end up winning. I’m anticipating extremely difficult games,” explained Petr.

He is looking forward to celebrating a Czech Christmas with the family. “I’m planning to go home right after training on the morning of the twenty-fourth. I’ve been getting presents over time every time I had some time off. The tree’s all ready as well. I’m sure it’ll be great fun,” said Petr