Mikel Arteta admitted Arsenal missed a golden opportunity to claim all three points against Liverpool, even as the Gunners extended their advantage at the top of the Premier League table following a 0-0 draw at the Emirates Stadium.
In a tightly contested encounter marked more by control than clear chances, Arsenal dictated large spells of the game and successfully restricted Liverpool to zero shots on target.
However, that authority did not translate into goals, as the hosts struggled to find a decisive touch in the final third.
Still, the result carried significance. The draw extended Arsenal’s unbeaten run to eight matches in all competitions and, crucially, opened a six-point gap at the summit after a demanding festive schedule that saw teams playing every few days.
Speaking after the match, Arteta struck a reflective tone, expressing disappointment while also acknowledging the fine margins involved at the highest level.
“Well, we’re disappointed because we wanted to win the game,” he said. “But I think overall, with the domination and the situations that we created in the first half, we should have come out of that in a winning position, and that’s the margins in this game.
“You’re not going to dominate the whole game against the champions, because they are a really good side.
“But when we have them there and created a situation where we’re having the best spaces to put the ball, find somebody and put the ball in the back of the net, and we didn’t do it.”
He continued: “Then in the second half, we were very inconsistent with the ball, losing balls that were very unusual for us – I don’t know if they were the conditions, the fatigue, whatever it is – and then we struggled more to have the right structure and be in distances that we can press them.
“If you cannot win it, at least we get a point, and I think the boys deserve a massive praise for what they’ve done in this Christmas period to get the results and the performances consistently in the manner that we’ve done it to come out from this period in a really strong position.”
From a broader perspective, Arsenal will take encouragement from their league position and home form. While rivals have stumbled amid the congested fixture list, the Gunners have remained unbeaten at the Emirates this season and emerged from the festive period with breathing space at the top.
Arteta also highlighted the physical and mental toll of the schedule, reserving special praise for his squad’s consistency and focus.
“On paper you play every two or three days, and it’s really tough. And the demands that we have to win every single game, and the opponents that we played. Huge congratulations to the players for what they’ve done in this period; how they maintain the desire and focus throughout this period that you can get very distracted. And you see how tough it is for every team.”
Ultimately, while the stalemate left a sense of what might have been, Arsenal’s grip on first place remains firm as they head into the next phase of the title race from a position of strength.
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