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Mikel Arteta apologises to fans for Arsenal’s second-half capitulation against Brighton.
Mikel Arteta criticized Arsenal’s ‘not acceptable’ second-half performance in a 3-0 loss to Brighton at home on Sunday night, which basically put an end to the team’s title hopes.
With a 3-0 victory against Everton on Sunday, Manchester City increased its lead at the top of the Premier League to four points. Arsenal missed the opportunity to reduce the gap, though, as Brighton easily won by the same three goals at the Emirates the following evening.
Following a first-half tactical tightrope walk, Brighton’s Paraguayan prodigy Julio Enciso put them in front six minutes after the break. Deniz Undav added to Brighton’s lead with a calmly lofted lob, and Pervis Estupinan secured the victory late on, sending the opposing manager Roberto De Zerbi tumbling to the ground on the Emirates pitch.
Arteta was not in a jubilant mood as City was just one victory away from clinching the title.
Speaking with a cracked voice, the visibly shaken Arsenal manager reflected to BBC’s Match of the Day: “We discussed that Brighton were difficult to chase against. The first half was very competitive. We should have capitalised better than we did. The second half was about keeping doing that and making a couple of adjustments but we conceded very early and after that it was the game they wanted. We tried to react but we gave a silly goal away and the team had no answers from 2-0.”
With a 2-0 victory at St. James’ Park just a week ago, Arsenal maintained their one-point deficit to City. It was one of their most impressive victories of the season.
Arteta touched on the dramatic shift in performance that took place in the space of seven short days. “We knew the challenge we had today,” he said. “It was very different to the one we had at Newcastle. I was stood here and very proud of what we did last week but today we have to apologise to our people. We have to move on very quickly and not keep that feeling for a long time.”
It was put to an evidently distraught Arteta that there is plenty to still be proud about from Arsenal’s season. The club are on course to record their highest points tally since 2004 for one. However, Arteta admitted: “It is difficult to see that picture today.”
The Gunners have struggled in European competition this season and Arteta threw forward to their matches with the continental elite next term. “When the team shows the face in the second half it shows we have things to adjust,” the 41-year-old said. “Any time in this league can punish you and that would happen in the Champions League too.”
When speaking to Sky Sports, Arteta refused to official cede the title which has not yet been decided. “Mathematically, it’s still possible,” he meekly insisted, “but today it’s impossible to think about it. We need to digest the result and the performance in the second half, understand why and have a different reaction.”