Mikel Arteta said Arsenal's resilience to fight back from conceding early to beat Bournemouth 3-2 is a sign of his side's growth as they aim to end a 22-year wait to win the Premier League.
The Gunners moved six points clear of Aston Villa at the top of the table and seven ahead of Manchester City, who host Chelsea in their game-in-hand on Sunday.
A rare error from Gabriel Magalhaes gifted Bournemouth an early lead, but the Brazilian centre-back quickly made amends at the other end to equalise.
A second half double from Declan Rice then secured the three points despite a stunning strike from Eli Kroupi to give Bournemouth hope late on.
Maximum points for The Arsenal 💪 pic.twitter.com/1QOR7gHZha
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) January 3, 2026
"They are so good, (we) made it even harder for ourselves conceding the first goal but I love the character of the team," said Arteta.
"I love the character of Gabriel. The way he overcame that situation, it's just unbelievable.
"It says a lot about how much we've grown. The team found a way to beat them and it's a massive win."
Rice had been a major injury doubt after missing Tuesday's 4-1 thrashing of Villa due to swelling on his knee.
Arteta said that the England international had pushed himself to return to the starting line-up and proved the match-winner by doubling his goal tally for the season.
"He has stretched himself to the very limit and the team were rewarded with two great goals," added Arteta.
"I think it's the first time he's scored two in a Premier League game, so yes a great day to remember."