Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta stormed out of his post-match interview with Sky Sports after his side were held to a 1-1 draw by Manchester United on Sunday. The Gunners saw their Premier League title hopes all-but ended at Old Trafford as they finished the day 15 points behind table toppers Liverpool.
Arteta was rattled during the interview as he assessed his side’s underwhelming performance in the north west. And after being asked if he could answer a final question about the title race, the Spaniard bluntly replied: “No.” He then departed the interview without any further interaction.
Arsenal were out of sorts at Old Trafford as they struggled to get a foothold on the game. And the north London giants fell behind just before the interval as Bruno Fernandes fired in a free-kick from the edge of the area.
The home side continued to push forward after the break in search of a second, with Arsenal forced to defend for long periods of the game.
Away goalkeeper David Raya was called into action time and time again as he kept his side in the game. And Arsenal eventually drew level with 16 minutes remaining as Declan Rice lashed the ball into the back of the net from just inside the box. But the Gunners couldn’t kick on, with Raya pulling off an outstanding double save at the end to bag his side a point.
“When we had the first half that we had where we were exceptional, we didn’t test the keeper,” Arteta explained at the start of the interview.
“We had some unbelievable situations, but we didn’t get the last shot or the last pass. We didn’t capitalise, we rushed the game. We started to lose duels and we could have ended up losing it.”
And when pressed on his side’s failure to take their chances, he added: “Sometimes that is what is missing.
“The execution has to be in to the right player and the right player to shoot. How we conceded [chances] in certain moments was not acceptable. They have so much quality and they pick the right player and normally that would end in a goal.
“We opened the gate to lose the game. There was no chance to lose the game and we opened it ourselves. I will defend my players all the time, but in those moments we have to do better.”
Arsenal will turn their attention to the Champions League in midweek as they attempt to protect their 7-1 aggregate lead in the second leg of their last-16 showdown with PSV on Wednesday night. The side will then return to Premier League action when they host Chelsea next Sunday.
