‘We had to fight for our lives,’ says Arsenal’s Bellerin

Hector Bellerin says that the chips were down for Arsenal on Saturday and that he and his team-mates had no choice but to overcome their Stoke City hoodoo.

Ahead of their trip to the Potters, Arsene Wenger’s troops had only won one of their previous eight trips to the bet365 Stadium but the visitors, who are still gunning for Champions League qualification, rose to the occasion this time around.

Olivier Giroud’s brace, in addition to goals from Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez, saw Arsenal cruise to a comfortable 4-1 victory, keeping their top-four hopes alive and kicking.

And full-back Bellerin believes Saturday’s showdown was a case of sink or swim.

“We knew that we were playing for our lives really, so any result other than a win wasn’t good for us,” said the 22-year-old.

(Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

“We knew that at the start of the game, so we knew we had to win no matter what. I think the team did really well.

“We had loads of chances. It was important to get them in and I think the team did really well.”

The young Spaniard also reckons that victory over Stoke demonstrated that Arsenal have the stomach to battle until the bitter end to seal a Champions League spot.

Bellerin said: “Definitely – that’s something this team has.

“We have a lot of heart, a lot of character, and, even though in some games it may not look like we’ve shown it, the team really wants to be there, and we’ve shown that.”