Nuno Tavares had a full Premier League debut to remember for Arsenal

Arsenal registered an impressive 3-1 victory Aston Villa on Friday night in the Premier League. The Gunner were at their ruthless best at the Emirates stadium and kick-started the weekend league games in the best possible style. After the match, goal scorers Thomas Partey, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Emile Smith Rowe might have taken away the spotlight. However, Nuno Tavares’ decisive contribution in the match cannot be forgotten. The Portuguese left-back had a full Premier League debut to remember on Friday night.

“Of course my debut in the squad for the Premier League was a good game and we got the three points,” he told Arsenal Media after the match. Speaking about playing in front of the Arsenal fans, he replied, “It was an amazing environment, always good and I enjoyed it. It was good for me.”

Talking about adapting to Premier League football, Tavares said, “I think it is more intense, more competitive, it is good. All players want to play in the Premier League.”

The Portuguese full-back praised his teammates for the way they played on Friday night, especially in the first half. “Yes it was a good game for all our team-mates, we did well. For the first half, two goals, it was amazing and in the second half we scored one goal to close the result.”

On nearly scoring himself, Tavares said, “Yeah, it was almost my first goal in the Premier League but I will keep trying! Of course I am very happy and proud to be here.”

‘We are the youngest team in the league’

Meanwhile, manager Mikel Arteta was happy with his team’s performance on Friday night after Arsenal defeated Aston Villa 3-1 in the Premier League. When asked if the first half is a blueprint of how he wants his team to play, Arteta told the media, “Yes, very close to it.” 

“What I liked the most was the way the team reacted from Monday evening – how we finished the game and how they were in the dressing room, accepting that it wasn’t good enough, that we played to a really good level in some parts but at a level that was not acceptable in others. We are the youngest team in the league, but that’s not an excuse. We cannot change the age. We cannot find excuses – we have to find out why those things happen in the game, find the right solutions and then put them right and believe that they can play at that level, because they can,” he added, according to the club’s website.

Arteta also praised the club’s supporters and said how the players’ energy lifted due to the supporters. Asked whether the fans helped the performance on Friday night, the manager replied, “Absolutely, I think the chemistry is there. I think the connection is getting stronger and stronger, and I think they are [all] enjoying what they have to do. They are a part of our team, a big part of our team. When there are moments where our stadium lifts, our level lifts. Our energy lifts, our belief, our confidence. I think they were terrific again tonight.”