Mikel Arteta has called for ‘another level’ of ‘commitment and desire’ from Arsenal after his side conceded a late goal to draw 2-2 with Fulham.
Joao Palhinha secured a point for 10-man Fulham in an entertaining London derby at the Emirates, as the Portugal international fired home from a corner to rescue the visitors a draw.
Fulham had taken the lead through Andreas Pereira inside 57 seconds, but Arsenal responded with substitute Fabio Vieira influential. The midfielder won a penalty which Bukayo Saka converted, before setting up fellow substitute Eddie Nketiah to fire Arsenal ahead.
Palhinha’s 87th-minute leveller for Fulham saw the spoils shared however, and Arteta was critical of his side for not seeing out the result.
“Right from the beginning, we gave an incredible goal away. You make life really difficult for yourself,” the Spaniard told BBC’s Match of the Day.
“But the team reacted really well. We dominated the game and created countless chances and should have scored five, six, seven goals easily. And when you have done the most difficult thing which is to get back ahead against a team that is well organised, you have to defend your box from one corner.
“It is the only chance they have and you get punished. Yet still you get another two chances and don’t score – that is the story of the game. The amount of things we did to merit to win the game comfortably, we end up with one point.
“We have this situation a thousand times in football [for the first goal]. We gave the ball away in a really dangerous area and it was a really cool finish.
“We have to show another level of commitment and desire and ‘over my dead body’. With 10 men, you cannot concede a goal.”
