“I regret using him in such a crucial match…I have learnt my lesson”: Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta has is NOT impressed by what ONE Arsenal star did against Brighton, ready to sell him next week
Arsenal squandered an opportunity to close the gap on Premier League-leading Liverpool on Saturday as the Gunners drew 1-1 with struggling Brighton & Hove Albion.
The North London side scored the game’s opening goal thanks to a lovely run along the right flank by 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri, who started his second match for Arsenal in Bukayo Saka’s ongoing absence.
The teenager did extremely well to create space for himself before unleashing a low shot that beat Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen and nestled inside the far post to give the viisting side the lead in the 16th minute.
Arsenal then continued to apply pressure for the remainder of the first half but couldn’t capitalise on their superiority on the ball, leading to a second half in which Brighton matched Arsenal’s intensity and earned a penalty kick that was converted just after the hour mark by forward Joao Pedro.
The visiting Gunners couldn’t find another gear after alllowing the equaliser, and instead had to walk away with just a single point — five behind Liverpool, who now have two games in hand.
“I’m disappointed because we wanted to win the game,” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta told Sky Sports. “We started the game with good actions and a good goal.
“We knew it was going to be a challenging game.”
For Arteta, the dropped points came down to sloppiness from his own side plus a penalty call by referee Anthony Taylor that he disagreed with.
“We gave too many balls away in the second half and we’re very disappointed with the penalty,” he said. “I’ve never seen that in my life – and [William] Saliba touches the ball. [It wasn’t one] for me, no.
“We’re playing every three days. I understand how much we want to [win], but in terms of the quality and the consistency and doing the simple things right against a competitive team, we didn’t do enough today.”
