MIKEL ARTETA blasted Arsenal’s lack of killer instinct as they blew two more vital points in the title race.
Bukayo Saka missed a penalty against struggling West Ham and the Prem leaders surrendered a two-goal lead for the second time in a week.
Rivals Manchester City are now just four points behind the Gunners with a game in hand and all the momentum on their side.
Arsenal boss Arteta moaned: “When the game is there for the killing, you have to do it.
“When you don’t have that ruthless mindset in the Premier League, at some stage the momentum will turn around.
“It’s very disappointing. We started extremely well, dominated and scored two beautiful goals. We made a huge mistake to stop playing to score again.
READ MORE TOP STORIES
“It just looked too easy. We thought we could just play around them and maintain the result and gave them hope.
“We then conceded a terrible penalty and after that we got on the roller-coaster where all the corners and throw-ins were coming at us.
“If you concede the goals we conceded and don’t score a penalty, in this league you are in big trouble.”
It was the first time Arsenal had blown two-goal leads in successive Prem games.
Most read in Football
FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS – BEST NEW CUSTOMER OFFERS
And Arteta admitted: “We needed to do many things better and if you don’t defend the box the way you should, you concede goals like we did.
“My worry is that after 2-0 we made a huge mistake and didn’t understand what the game required at that moment.
“For sure, it’s a concern when you’re able to drop your level so quickly when the game is there to be won.”
Arsenal travel to Treble-chasing champs City in nine days — in a clash Etihad boss Pep Guardiola has already dubbed “The Prem final”.
Arteta added: “I have no idea what today means for the title race but we have to dig really deep and find the solution to what just happened.
“It’s really difficult to win this league. Thirty minutes of playing well is just not enough.”
We thought we could just play around them and maintain the result and at the moment we gave them hope.
Mikel Arteta
Gunners captain Martin Odegaard, who netted along with Gabriel Jesus inside ten minutes, admitted: “We did the same thing at Liverpool last week.
“We started well but then stopped and allowed them to play to their strengths.
“We did a lot of stupid things on the ball and gave them the game they wanted to play. And that’s on us.”
Yet Arteta refused to point the finger at Saka for his 52nd-minute penalty miss when Arsenal were leading 2-1 and Michail Antonio handballed.
Arteta said: “I don’t know any player who takes penalties who hasn’t missed.
“Bukayo has been through this before and will again. If I had to pick one player to do that, it would be him again.”
Said Benrahma’s penalty, after Gabriel felled Lucas Paqueta, and Jarrod Bowen’s volley means West Ham are four points clear of the drop with a game in hand.
Read More on The Sun
Boss David Moyes said: “To come back from two down against a team playing as well as Arsenal was incredible.
“We could easily have folded at 2-0 down but the penalty got us back in it.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
