Arsenal midfielder Mohamed Elneny says getting the bragging rights in a win over Chelsea is worth more than the three points collected.
The two London heavyweights met at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night in the Premier League. Having won the reverse fixture at the Emirates Stadium 2-0 and having a better run in the top-tier as opposed to their opponents, the Blues were the favourites heading into the game.
However, Mikel Arteta's charges were not in the mood for a fourth straight loss in the league and went on to put up a brave performance to win 4-2. The win also ensured the team remained in a firm position to continue pushing for a Champions League return next season.
Among the players who impressed on Wednesday night was Elneny, who was making just his eighth league appearance this season.
"A derby win away from home is worth more than three points," the Egypt international tweeted.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta went on to explain why he preferred Elneny to partner Granit Xhaka over Albert Sambi Lokonga.
"It’s very simple, I’ve said it many times, it’s the way that they train," Arteta said as quoted by the club's website.
"If you see the training session that we had on Sunday after the defeat [to Southampton] if you see Mo Elneny, Rob Holding, Nicolas Pepe, how they trained - I think it’s the reason why we won.
"I said to them before the game, to good people, good things happen guys, and we have some really really good people in that dressing room.
"That shows in difficult moments when they are not involved, not in the good moments. They have performed today because of how they look after themselves and how much they care about the team."
Elneny hopes to keep his place on Saturday as Arsenal welcome Manchester United in a league assignment at the Emirates.
The Gunners lost 3-2 in the first meeting staged at Old Trafford. Both teams are pushing for Champions League football next season.