Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta expressed his disappointment after the 1–1 draw against Brentford in the match played on Thursday evening.
The “Gunners” took the lead in the 60th minute through a header from Noni Madueke, but just ten minutes later the hosts equalised with another header, this time from Keane Lewis-Potter, sealing the final result.
After the match, Arteta stressed that the encounter was extremely difficult.
“It was a very tough match. We knew it would be very difficult to dominate them throughout the game. They are very good at putting the game into the rhythm they want,” he said.
According to the Spanish coach, Arsenal struggled in the first 10–15 minutes, but then managed to take control of the game.
“In the second half, I think we started to dominate the match with the tempo and intention we had, as well as with the number of chances we created. But we didn’t hit the target enough and we missed too many chances. After we scored, the game was totally under control,” Arteta emphasized.
However, he underlined that moments of carelessness cost his team.
“You have to be very disciplined and not concede unnecessary fouls. After a long throw-in or a set piece, you have to defend at all costs. When you don’t do that, you get punished. After their goal, the game opened up and either team could have won it,” he stated.
Arteta also mentioned Gabriel Martinelli’s late chance as a golden opportunity to secure the win.
“We could have won it with Gabi’s chance at the end, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough,” the Arsenal manager concluded.
