Mikel Arteta backs Mauricio Pochettino to succeed at Chelsea despite big Arsenal win: 'He’s doing a great job'

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta admitted he has sympathy for Mauricio Pochettino after hammering his Chelsea team in a 5-0 win on Tuesday night.

Kai Havertz and Ben White scored twice, after Leandro Trossard had opened the scoring early in the match, to blow away their London rivals at the Emirates Stadium.

Victory sees Arsenal set the pace in the title race at the top of the Premier League table but both Manchester City and Liverpool remain firmly in contention.

When asked the plight of Pochettino, who is one of the Arsenal manager’s friends in football, Arteta said: “All the sympathy in the world. With everything that he’s been through and everything that he’s been doing. He knows that.

“I’ve been on the other side as well. He’s doing a great job, I think when you look at this team and analyse every second of them, they deserve to win many matches, they deserve to win against big teams.

“He’s doing a really good job so hopefully things will turn around and be as he deserves.

“I love winning. He would try to do the same. When you talk about sympathy and someone I love and admire, for sure, I want the best for him.”

Arteta revealed he delight at how Arsenal have reacted to losing to Aston Villa and then getting knocked out of the Champions League by Bayern Munich.

On his side bouncing back from those setbacks, Arteta said: “Just face the reality, that’s it. The margins are so small and some things you cannot be better than your opponent.

“You might not have the luck when you need it in certain moments but you need to react and face the moment. That moment is beautiful. We’ve been working for it for nine months, so we have to face it in the right way.

“Value what we have, and especially believe. If you are able to believe for nine months, you are able to win it. But you have to belief it first and consistently do what you have been doing. Nothing else.”

He continued: “It’s great for us obviously and for the confidence and the belief that we can do it as well.

“That we can come to these stages against big teams and perform and win games the way we’ve done it tonight.

“Enjoy it and then it’s back to work tomorrow because we have a big one on Sunday and we’re going to have to prepare really well to beat them.”