Mikel Arteta has bemoaned the ‘very poor goals’ Arsenal conceded after his side lost 2-0 to Aston Villa at the Emirates.
Arsenal missed the chance to move back to the top of the Premier League table after a damaging defeat in north London.
The Gunners were unable to find a breakthrough after a positive start and it was the visitors who came closest to opening the scoring, as Ollie Watkins and Youri Tielemans hit the woodwork either side of half-time.
Villa eventually found an opener when Leon Bailey fired in at the near post on 84 minutes, before Arsenal were denied an equaliser as Emi Martinez saved brilliantly from Leandro Trossard.
Unai Emery’s top-four chasing side then wrapped up the win on the break as Watkins stormed through to lift a finish over David Raya.
Arteta criticised the differing levels in his team’s performance either side of half-time and said Arsenal were punished for failing to take their chances.
“Two very different performances. The first half was superb, one of the best halves we have played against a top team. It should have been three or four – or more,” he said to Sky Sports.
“We didn’t put that score line up and didn’t reflect that second half. We lacked momentum. We didn’t have the flow we had in the first half and then we conceded two very, very poor goals.
“Credit to them, in the second half we were a bit unprecise with the ball, we weren’t able to do what we did in the first half. In the end we lost it so we have to congratulate them on the points.”
On how his team will respond to the defeat and overhauling Manchester City across the run-in, the Spaniard said: “We can’t control [Manchester City]. What we can control is that when we have the run we had when you win, win, win, win, it’s easy. The moment is now. After this blow, it’s how we react.
“We have the best opportunity to react against Bayern Munich on Wednesday. The team has to show it. If you want to win, you have to overcome these situations.
“With the games we had, this was going to happen. It is now about how we react. This is in our control.
“We cannot control that (Manchester City). In any other league in the world if you won the number of games in a row that we did, you would be six or eight points clear. That is not the case here. That is the challenge.”
