Mikel Arteta took time to reflect on Sunderland’s 2-2 draw against Arsenal, in a game that would have easily ended in a victory for the gunners.
Arsenal found themselves trailing through Dan Ballard’s opener in the first half. The Gunners put in a much more improved performance in the second half when skipper Bukayo Saka leveled matters.
Leandro Trossard put them in the lead for the first time in the game with a phenomenal effort. The game was not short of drama, as Brian Brobbey’s acrobatic equalizer ensured that the spoils were shared.
While Mikel expressed disappointment in conceding late, he was happy to see his troops extend their unbeaten run to 14 matches in a
topsy-turvy game.
“We knew that it was going to be really tough, really disruptive, a lot of stop and start, a lot of long balls. We dealt with that the majority of the time well, but we conceded two goals in a way that we should have defended better“
What next for Arsenal?
“After 1-0, I think the team reacted really well. We scored a goal, scored a second goal, really dominated the game and created more chances, and then at the end, they don’t need much, just a ball in the air; it’s a front-up ball, and we can deal with that better. We conceded a goal, but we reacted immediately, and we have a massive chance with Richy and Mikel to win the game”
Arsenal have a tight schedule lined up against Tottenham Hotspur, Bayern Munich, and Chelsea; the gaffer will be keen to have more players at his disposal as they set their sights on maintaining their dominance in the Premier League and European football.
“Now we reset with the international break, get the [international] players back nice and healthy, and for the ones that are not healthy, make sure that they get healthy, and we go again”
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