It's been a tough week for Arsenal after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was stripped of the captaincy, but it ended on a high as they entered the top four with a win over West Ham.
The Gabon international had the armband taken off him on Tuesday after he arrived back late from a trip abroad.
The striker was left out of the matchday squad that beat the Hammers 2-0 at the Emirates as his future at Arsenal looks more and more ominous the longer he is frozen out.
It wasn't an easy decision for Arteta, but sometimes the toughest calls are the right ones to make with Aubameyang guilty of a series of disciplinary breaches.
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Arteta admitted Aubameyang was still 'hurting and needed time to heal' as he reflects on what's materialised.
It won't have been easy for the players either as they've had to put it to the back of their minds and focus on matters on their pitch.
And to their credit, it didn't appear to be a distraction as they secured back-to-back victories over Southampton and West Ham with Aubameyang out of the line-up.
And Arteta has hailed his players' response to the tricky situation and their professionalism as this goes on in the background.
Asked if he needed to say anything to the dressing room about why Aubameyang wasn't involved against David Moyes' men, he said: "The players play for the club and the players play with the fight and the energy that we all expect from them.
"I was really happy from the beginning. How they see it, how focused they were the energy they put in the performance because we knew we had to play really well today to beat West Ham and I think we’ve done it.
"Really pleased with the performance. The attitude the commitment, the quality that we showed in the game and the chemistry that we generated again with our supporters. To win a game at home it’s really important because it sets the tone of the team against a good side who it’s difficult to dominate the way we’ve done today.
Alexandre Lacazette looks set to be the next captain after taking the armband twice since Aubameyang's demotion.
Meanwhile, Aubameyang could be on his way out of north London as it doesn't seem like he is returning to Arteta's side any time soon.
Asked if he would be involved in their next game against Leeds, he replied: "No news.
The Spaniard was then quizzed if there have been any developments - prompting the same ruthless three-word response.
He added: "No news."
