Mikel Arteta expressed outrage at his team’s 1-1 draw at Old Trafford against Manchester United, a result that might have blown Arsenal’s chances at the Premier League title.
The Gunners trail leaders Liverpool by 15 points, and with 10 matches left to execute, Arne Slot’s team seems primed for their 20th league crown.
Arteta was a visibly frustrated figure following the fact that his side could get just a single goal in the contest through Declan Rice’s second half strike against a United side struggling in 14th place.
“Very frustrating we haven’t won with the dominance and the chances we had in the first half. We gave the ball away out of nothing. Gave a foul away. We had them in the second half, you could feel they were really fatigued,” Arteta said.
“It was the threat in the final 25 metres to make something happen. They didn’t want to play. You come here and you want to win the game. Today, it is frustration.”
Rice and Arteta were quizzed about Bruno Fernandes’ goal from a free kick after United midfielder said “It helps that the wall was about 15 metres back!”
The rules of the game stipulate the wall must be at least 10 metres back.
“I’ve not seen the goal back,” Rice said.
“It felt like the ball flew over us at a low height. [The wall] did feel far back. Anthony [Taylor] is the ref, he makes that decision.”
Arteta also added: “Football is for a smart street players, and if [Fernandes] has done that and capitalised on that, he is more clever than us and the referee. It was a goal, so they took advantage of that. Football is for clever people.”
