“Pain in my tummy”: Arteta frustrated after Arsenal concede late equaliser

Overview

• Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was left frustrated and disappointed.
• Arsenal were held to a 2-2 draw against Sunderland in the ongoing Premier League.
• A win could have strengthened  the Gunners’ position more at the top.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was left frustrated and disappointed as his side was held to a 2-2 draw against Sunderland in the ongoing Premier League. A win could have strengthened  the Gunners’ position more at the top, but after eight games of clean-sheet football across all competitions, they finally conceded — followed by a stoppage-time equaliser that denied them all three points at the Stadium of Light.

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After the match, Arteta admitted how the first goal changed the game’s momentum.

"I felt a pain in my tummy," Arteta said. "I don't want to concede any goals. It was a goal and put the game in a difficult position. The last feeling, it's disappointment and frustration because we wanted the three points and we have to navigate through a really tough game.”

"They played really well" - Arteta

The Arsenal boss, however, praised his team’s reaction after conceding but expressed disappointment at their failure to defend under pressure.

"We knew that, very disruptive. We have to deal with situations that are obviously difficult to deal with. They played really well, we conceded a goal that is not in our standards. After that I think the team reacted really well, we showed a lot of personality and courage, scored the first goal, scored the second goal and we had totally dominated the game,” he added.

"Then you have to rely on defending the box when they start to put six or seven players there. It can be from a direct play, a throw-in or any situation, we can defend the action better. Today we haven't done it and conceded the goal," Arteta concluded.

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Despite the setback, Arsenal remain on top of the table with 26 points from 11 games (8 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss), while Sunderland earned a crucial point to sit fourth with 19 points (5 wins, 4 draws, 2 losses).