Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta’s honest admission about Roberto Firmino’s Liverpool equaliser

The Gunners boss reflected on the enthralling draw at Anfield by conceding 2-2 was probably a fair result despite the fact his Arsenal side boasted a 2-0 lead early on

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta could do little more than suggest Liverpool were well worth their last-gasp equaliser at Anfield despite the fact the Gunners boasted a 2-0 lead at one stage.

Goals from Brazilian duo Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus sparked wild celebrations from the travelling Gunners faithful, but those same celebrations were to be cut short in brutal fashion before the full-time whistle. Mohamed Salah started the fight back after bundling home his effort from close range just before the interval.

The Egyptian international was then handed a glorious chance to net a brace, but fired his penalty the wrong side of the post. Thankfully for Salah, his blushes were spared by team-mate Roberto Firmino, who rose highest with just minutes to spare to head home his 11th goal against the Gunners. If it hadn’t been for two superb saves from Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, Arteta’s side could have made the long journey back to north London without even a point to show for their efforts .

A 2-2 draw means Arsenal’s advantage at the top of the table is reduced to six points, while closest challengers and defending champions Manchester City have also played one less game. The two teams will meet at the Etihad later this month in what promises to be a title showdown for the ages.

After the draw at Anfield, Arteta tried to sum up the feeling in the Arsenal dressing room as he lamented the way the Gunners gave up their lead while conceding Liverpool could have inflicted further damage.

“When you concede at the end it’s always two points lost because you have it and you suffer at times,” said the Arsenal boss.

“The feeling is ‘Ah, we should have done this.’ But if we’re honest with ourselves, they had four goals and we should have done better in the second half.”

“In the second half it was a completely different story. We gave away every ball, especially in danger zones, allowing for dangerous results and great transition moments against the best team in the world.”

He continued: “If you look at both halves, it’s probably a fair result. You have to accept it. The big lesson is probably to play like we did in the first half.

Also..

Trent Alexander-Arnold reaction as Liverpool pull a draw with Arsenal: We take the point, but we know it could have been three

Trent Alexander-Arnold was pleased with Liverpool’s struggle in Sunday’s 2-2 draw against Arsenal but expressed disappointment that they didn’t take all three points.

The Reds bounced back from a two-goal deficit at Anfield to earn a share of the spoils of a thrilling Premier League encounter.

The league leaders were 2-0 up after 28 minutes thanks to goals from Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus.

But the hosts fought back, Mohamed Salah equalizing just before the break when Alexander-Arnold slotted in Roberto Firmino’s header in the 87th minute.

After the match, the No.66 spoke to Sky Sports to reflect on a thrilling encounter – read on to see what he had to say… At stake…

Intense. A very, very beautiful football match. I think both teams have played very good football at times. We never started out the way we wanted. Two behind at home is never good, but we showed character, got into the game, equalized late on and in the end had a huge chance to win. We take the point, but we know there could have been three.
About what was missing at the beginning of the game…

Probably a little confidence to play, lacked the intensity we wanted, not compact enough as a team. There were a few things but I think towards the end of the first half we started playing the way we wanted and in the second half we definitely did. I think we had the upper hand throughout the second half, limited their chances and could have scored a few goals. Against a team like that you get punished if you don’t start a game fast enough and that happened today.

Speaking of his performance…

Goals have to come from either side or from the centre, so that’s how football works. You play against a quality player, Martinelli, and their forward line is quality everywhere, as is the team, which is full of quality. These are necessarily threats and they aim. But we stayed in the game and tried to put the pressure on, especially towards the end of the second half. We also missed a pin – I had forgotten about that, it was a highlight – but we stayed inside and got it late. It’s just the struggle that we really have.

What the second half can give the team… They are one of the top two teams in the league: them and City. We want to get three points in every game. A little disappointed not to get him today but there were lessons that we can play and have the confidence to play against a quality side like Arsenal. We gave them two good games – we gave them a great game in the Emirates and here again. We have shown on numerous occasions that we can compete with the best in the championship.