Per Mertesacker hails Arsenal response against Everton

Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker has praised the spirit of the team after they fought back to draw 2-2 with Everton on Saturday.

The Gunners were two goals down with around 10 minutes left to play at Goodison Park before strikes from Aaron Ramsey and Olivier Giroud saw them claim a share of the spoils in the Premier League encounter.

"We need to get in our rhythm and it took a while at the start but I think we responded fantastically as a team in the second half," Mertesacker told the club's official website.

"Overall we created much more in the second half and put the pressure on them all the time. That was very important for us, it doesn't feel like a win but we showed great team spirit."

Mertesacker made his first appearance of the season for Arsenal against Everton after taking time off following his triumph with Germany at the World Cup.