"I certainly didn't expect that from him" - Mikel Arteta lavishes praise on 'tremendous' display by Arsenal star against Aston Villa

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has heaped praise on January signing Jorginho, who joined the club from Chelsea on a permanent transfer.

The Gunners signed the Italian after a string of unconvincing performances by youngster Albert Sambi Lokonga, eventually resulting in a much-needed loan for him. Signing Jorginho was also important since Thomas Partey has shown signs of struggling with longevity in terms of fitness.

The win against Aston Villa takes Arteta's team back to the top of the Premier League table, with Manchester City to play later in the day.

BIG. THREE. POINTS. https://t.co/REx0sb1RpF

Manager Mikel Arteta spoke about Jorginho and his impact on the squad in his post-match press conference. Referring to his abilities and performance in tonight's game, he said:

"I certainly didn't expect that from him (Jorginho). I thought he was tremendous today."

Speaking about the importance of this result after their loss to Manchester City, he added:

"We showed a lot of character and resilience. We have to take some lessons. In the first half we didn't do simple things right, in the second half we dominated. We needed a magic moment and Jorginho produced it, the boys really wanted it, after what happened a couple of days ago.

"If you want to be at the top you have to win games in different ways, to do it against this team and at this stadium, I have to give credit to the boys, the dressing room is bouncing!"

With Manchester City set to face Nottingham Forest later in the day, the Gunners' win could prove to be massive for them in the long run.

Arsenal back to winning ways after disappointing results

Prior to their 4-2 win against Aston Villa, Arsenal secured just one point from a possible nine in the Premier League. They lost to Everton and City, with a controversial 1-1 draw against Brentford sandwiched between those two games.

The Gunners were also eliminated from the FA Cup by Manchester City, a competition they have won 15 times.

However, the young team showed great spirit as they came from 2-1 down at half-time to secure a huge win. The result sees Arsenal leapfrog City into first place by three points, having played the same number of games.

🔝 Premier League table:

1️⃣ Arsenal 54pts
2️⃣ Man City 52pts
3️⃣ Man Utd 46pts
4️⃣ Newcastle 41pts
5️⃣ Tottenham 39pts
6️⃣ Brighton 35pts https://t.co/Gh8XgRSJDr

Arsenal will travel to Leicester City for their next league game on February 25.