Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta cut a frustrated figure after seeing his side surrender a two-goal lead in a 2-2 draw away to Wolverhampton Wanderers, admitting a below-par second-half showing proved decisive.
The Gunners looked firmly in control at Molineux after first-half goals from Bukayo Saka and Piero Hincapie put them 2-0 up against the Old Gold.
However, momentum swung after the break as a stunning strike from Hugo Bueno sparked the comeback before Tom Edozie grabbed a late equaliser to deny Arsenal all three points.
Speaking after the final whistle, Arteta was clear that his side paid the price for losing their grip on the contest.
“We’re very disappointed with the end result, but I think we have to fault ourselves,” Mikel said.
“I think the performance in the second half doesn’t show the level and the standards required in the Premier League to win in the manner that we should have won the game, especially in the way that we played in the first half.”
As the match wore on, Arsenal struggled to reassert control, something Arteta felt stemmed from errors rather than effort.
“It’s very tough, we are frustrated because it’s down to us. It’s time to talk on the pitch because anything that we say right now comes from anger, frustration, disappointment, and there’s nothing coming through that is going to benefit and help the team going forward.”
He added: “It’s nothing to do with attitude or with desire. There were a lot of things that went wrong in the second half that didn’t allow us to have any dominance, even though we scored the second goal. We never felt that we were in control of the game.”
Nevertheless, attention quickly shifts to a crucial test on Sunday, with a north London derby awaiting at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Arteta is keen for his players to channel the disappointment into a response on the pitch.
“We need to improve, pick ourselves up, bring the energy back,” he said. “Now we have a great game on Sunday to show that.
“I think we owe ourselves that one after what we’ve done today in the second half. I think we need some time, a few hours to digest. This one has to be a really, really painful one and we use it in the right way to improve.”
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