MY ACCOUNT
Mikel Arteta called on Arsenal to take their point and move on after the Premier League leaders squandered a two-goal lead to draw with Liverpool, claiming the result was a fair one.
Arsenal looked set to restore their eight-point lead over title rivals Manchester City when Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus handed the Gunners a comfortable first-half lead.
While Mohamed Salah rolled a penalty wide after pulling a goal back, Roberto Firmino came off the bench to net his 11th Premier League goal against the Gunners – only Harry Kane (14) and Wayne Rooney (12) have more against them in the competition.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the draw, Arteta lamented Arsenal’s loss of control following their flying start, but conceded Liverpool deserved their share of the spoils.
“Very intense game. The game was under control but just before half-time we conceded a really sloppy goal and the game shifted momentum,” Arteta said.
“We had to reset after half-time and started well in the first few minutes, but then we lost control. It became a very transitional game, very chaotic.
“Liverpool could have scored three or four. It is true we could have scored two or three, so maybe at the end the score is fair.
“We could take three points. We should have played like the first half for another 15 minutes and then the game would have taken a very different trajectory. We didn’t. We have to take the point.”
Asked why Arsenal failed to maintain their early dominance, Arteta said: “I haven’t seen anybody do that here. Nobody. They [Liverpool] beat every big team here, they played Real Madrid and could have been four up after 20 minutes.
“They are going to have moments. You need to deal with them and we did. Our goalkeeper had a big part in that.”
The result means City are six points behind Arsenal at the summit with a game in hand and a home match against the Gunners – set for April 26 – to come.
Asked what the result meant for the title race, Arteta said: “We have to move on, and convince them to keep playing like we did in the first 30 minutes.”
Arsenal are now winless in their last 10 Premier League trips to Anfield, drawing three and losing seven while conceding at least twice in each match.
