Liverpool prevented Arteta’s men from securing a crucial victory at Anfield, dealing a setback to the Gunners’ hopes of winning the Premier League title
Mikel Arteta urged his team to accept the draw and move forward after Arsenal surrendered a 2-0 lead to draw with Liverpool. The Arsenal manager believed the outcome was just and fair. In the first half, Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus gave the Gunners a comfortable lead, which seemed to put them on course to increase their lead over Manchester City in the title race.
Despite Mohamed Salah missing a penalty, he was able to score a goal, and Roberto Firmino, who was substituted into the game, scored his 11th Premier League goal against Arsenal.
This puts him in third place for the most Premier League goals against Arsenal, with only Harry Kane (14) and Wayne Rooney (12) scoring more goals against the Gunners in the competition.
Arteta rues mistakes in ‘intense’ clash with Liverpool
Speaking to Sky Sports Arteta admitted that Arsenal lost their control after their excellent start but accepted that Liverpool deserved a share of the points.
“Very intense game. The game was under control but just before half-time we conceded a really sloppy goal and the game shifted momentum,” Arteta said.
“We had to reset after half-time and started well in the first few minutes, but then we lost control. It became a very transitional game, very chaotic.
“Liverpool could have scored three or four. It is true we could have scored two or three, so maybe at the end the score is fair.
“We could take three points. Arsenal should have played like the first half for another 15 minutes. Then the game would have taken a very different trajectory. We didn’t. Arsenal have to take the point.”
Asked why Arsenal failed to maintain their early dominance, Arteta said: “I haven’t seen anybody do that here. Nobody. They [Liverpool] beat every big team here, they played Real Madrid and could have been four up after 20 minutes.
“They are going to have moments. You need to deal with them and we did. Our goalkeeper had a big part in that.”
Asked what the result meant for the title race, Arteta said: “We have to move on. and convince them to keep playing like we did in the first 30 minutes.”
