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Liverpool threw away a two-goal lead and were held to a 2-2 draw against Arsenal in the Premier League at Anfield.
Mikel Arteta says that Arsenal will not be able to compete for the Premier League title if they fail to keep their discipline next season.
The Gunners are set to finish as runners-up for a third successive campaign, with Liverpool already crowned champions. Ahead of Sunday’s clash at Anfield, Arsenal gave the Reds a guard of honour as they walked onto the pitch.
It appeared it would be an afternoon of celebration for Liverpool as they dominated much of the first half. Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz scored in as many minutes to hand Arne Slot’s hosts a healthy advantage at half-time.
Arsenal improved after the break, though, with Gabriel Martinelli reducing the deficit before Mikel Merino equalising. But after Merino was sent off for a second yellow card, Liverpool pushed for a winner and had an Andy Robertson goal at the death disallowed, with the game ending 2-2.
Arsenal’s aim in the 2025-26 campaign will be to end their 21-year wait for a title. But having had six players issued red cards this term, Arteta knows that has to improve. The Emirates Stadium boss said: “I think the message is to ourselves - I think it has to be about us, the things that we can control.
We can never control what they are able to do or what they can't do. That's it, they won it. I think they fully deserve to win it - they have been so consistent and that's it. We are going to have to be better, smarter, with the right availability, for sure don't play six times in a season with ten men because if that happens we won't win it next season for sure. And learn, a lot of learning.
“When I look back to the 2-2 game at home and we should have probably won it, probably. I think we should have won it and today we should have lost it, and it could have been three or four. The first 25 minutes they missed another two big chances as well - it's about the consistency and the level, at the highest level we can compete against any team in the world, and we have shown that now for the last two, three seasons.
“Against the top six, I think we haven't lost any single game, so that tells you, as a team we are very, very consistent. We can compete with anybody. But actually to win it and win, win, win, win, win, we're going to need something else apart from availability as well, certain demands and make sure that we don't talk about reaction, because I hate that word.”
Arteta rued Arsenal’s first-half performance, which ‘really upset’ him. The Spaniard added: “You want to be a moment that you win it or you don't, and when you don't have to, after you have to play another one that you have been working for nine months and that's here today. And if you cannot win it, you have to be the best of the rest. And I was really, really upset.
“I think it makes it (the reaction to going behind) worse because you miss half of the team again and we've done it for nine months. And you're going to still, after two-nil at Anfield, like any other team will do, we play the way that we play, come back, maybe should have won it and at the end maybe lose it again for something that was in our hands for sure and having to play for the sixth time in the season with ten men. We want to really win it, the consistency level for 95 minutes, and I don't like to talk about the players that are not here and the excuses. Disappointed.”
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