FURIOUS Mikel Arteta slammed his Arsenal flops and accused them of lacking the ‘levels’ to be champs.
Bookies Paddy Power last night paid out on a Liverpool title after Jarrod Bowen’s winner at the Emirates.
And Gunners boss Arteta fumed: “I’m very, very angry. I hope the team is angry. That was nowhere near the levels we have to hit to win a Premier League.”
Sub Myles Lewis-Skelly was also sent off after a VAR review for tripping Mohammed Kudus — Arsenal’s FIFTH red card of the season.
Asked if the title race is over, Arteta admitted: “It’s not in our hands.
“I’m really annoyed with the things that ARE in our hands and we didn’t do as well as we could.
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“We have to look in the mirror of what we can do better: the will, the desire and the way we want it.”
Prem leaders Liverpool will go ELEVEN points clear with a win at Manchester City today.
Injury-hit Arsenal mustered just TWO shots on target yesterday after midfielder Mikel Merino was handed his first career start as a No 9 following injuries to Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus.
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Arteta added: “Even though we had 20 shots, I never felt we were at the standard and the level we needed. We never got a grip of the game.
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“I refuse to blame the lack of strikers. I am talking about the players’ standards, me included.
“This level was not enough. You have to deliver and it has to be with quality to break down a good team.”
The shock defeat ended the Gunners’ run of 15 unbeaten Prem games.
Skipper Martin Odegaard echoed Arteta’s comments and declared:
“The performance was not good enough. It’s a big blow, really disappointed.
“We have players missing but we have players here who are good enough and available.
“It wasn’t good enough in front of the goal. With the red card, it was tricky as well.”
Asked if he picked the wrong team, Arteta replied: “I would do the same, but when you lose you get it wrong, the tactics, the intentions, everything.”
Lewis-Skelly’s 73rd-minute red for a halfway-line trip on Kudus was upgraded from an initial yellow after VAR Peter Bankes persuaded ref Craig Pawson to view the pitchside monitor.
The Prem’s Match Centre confirmed VAR “deemed it denial of an obvious goal-scoring opportunity”.
Kudus said: “I took the ball off and tried to get the shot off. If I wasn’t stopped, I was heading direct to goal against the keeper.
Asked what needs to change between now and Wednesday’s visit to third-placed Nottingham Forest, Arteta added: “First of all, suffer, 24 to 48 hours, suffer and feel the pain.
“Make sure we come back on Monday with bite and anger still in the stomach.
“Hopefully we have a positive reaction. We must understand we need to raise the level.”
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Bowen, who scored his 50th Prem goal, said: “It was a beautiful ball in, I couldn’t miss.
“It was really important to win the game.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
