Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said he believes the 2-2 draw with Liverpool was a fair result and urged his team to move on after squandering a two-goal lead.
Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus put the Gunners ahead in the first half, but Liverpool responded with goals from Mohamed Salah and substitute Roberto Firmino. While Arteta was disappointed with Arsenal’s loss of control after their flying start, he admitted that Liverpool deserved their share of the points.
Arteta described the game as very intense and said that the result was fair, with both teams having chances to win the game. He suggested that Arsenal could have scored two or three more goals, but also acknowledged that Liverpool could have scored three or four themselves.
He said that the game became very chaotic and transitional, which made it difficult for both teams to control the game.
“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.
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“We could take three points. We should have played like the first half for another 15 minutes and then the game would have taken a very different trajectory. We didn’t. We have to take the point.”
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Despite the draw, Arsenal remain at the top of the Premier League table, six points ahead of second-placed Manchester City, who have a game in hand. Arteta admitted that the result was a missed opportunity for his team to extend their lead, but said that they need to move on and focus on their upcoming fixtures.
When asked why his team failed to maintain their early dominance, Arteta pointed to Liverpool’s quality and said that he hadn’t seen any team dominate at Anfield like his team did in the first 30 minutes.
“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.”
He praised Liverpool’s ability to beat every big team at home and suggested that his team needs to learn how to deal with these moments.
Looking ahead, Arteta said that Arsenal need to convince his team to keep playing like they did in the first 30 minutes of the game.
“We have to move on, and convince them to keep playing like we did in the first 30 minutes.”
Arsenal have now gone 10 Premier League trips to Anfield without a win, drawing three and losing seven while conceding at least twice in each match.
