Mikel Arteta explains why Jorginho was substituted at half-time in Arsenal's 4-0 rout of Everton

Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta was a happy man after his team's 4-0 win against Everton on Wednesday, March 1.

Jorginho started in midfield for the Gunners but was taken off after the first half to be replaced by Thomas Partey. Arsenal were already 2-0 up when the swap was made.

They lost the reverse leg 1-0 at Goodison last month and Arteta was a relieved man with the victory. He said (reported via Football London):

"I am really happy as it was the game we had in hand against an opponent that we knew would make life really difficult for us. We experienced that at Goodison."

"We started the game with some frustration and not really understanding what we had to do and allowed them to run in certain transitions. But after 25 minutes we started to get much better and the timing of the two goals was key," he continued.

Explaining the arrival of the first goal and the decision to substitute Jorginho, Arteta said:

"We needed a magic moment there. And Alex (Zinchenko) produced that. And then the team grew especially with Thomas (Partey) as Jorg(inho) was not feeling good today. When he came on he really gave some presence and some stability to the team and I think the second half was superb."

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Arsenal back to winning ways after a mini rough patch in the league

Arsenal went on a winless run between January 28 and February 16, where they lost thrice and drew one game (three of them in the Premier League). The league leaders have lost considerable ground but have managed to maintain their position at the top, courtesy of Manchester City slipping as well.

The Gunners currently have 60 points after 25 games and are five ahead of City. With 13 games left to play and a reverse leg against Pep Guardiola's men yet to come, there is still a lot to play for in the league.

As of now, the Gunners will be happy to have broken their losing streak by winning three league games on the bounce.

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