Following Arsenal's disappointing 3-2 home loss to Manchester United, club legend Patrick Vieira has questioned the team's 'mental strength'. The Frenchman then spoke about two players who, in his eyes, didn't do enough on the day.
The Gunners had not lost at home all season before hosting the Red Devils on Sunday, but were dealt a shock by Michael Carrick's rejuvenated side. Despite dominating the early stages, momentum shifted after taking a lead, with Martin Zubimendi's poor back pass allowing Bryan Mbeumo to round David Raya and make it 1-1.
Patrick Dorgu then fired in a stunning second for the away team before Arsenal eventually wrestled the scores back to 2-2, with Mikel Merino prodding home a scrappy equaliser. Things were only level for three minutes, however, with Matheus Cunha scoring the away team's second long-distance goal of the night, which was enough to seal a 3-2 win.
Mikel Arteta's side remain four points clear at the top of the Premier League table, but the defeat will send a glimmer of hope to title rivals Aston Villa and Manchester City.
Vieira Calls For More From Saka and Trossard
bukayo saka
Having failed to perform on the biggest stage, former club captain Vieira spoke about how 'disappointed' the team will be with their efforts. He spoke about the team lacking a 'leader to lift the spirit of the team' and then expressed his disappointment with senior stars Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard, explaining to Sky Sports:
"There are still some questions about the mental strength of the team. That performance they will be really disappointed with, not because they lose the game but the way they lose the game. They didn't create enough, [Bukayo] Saka and [Leandro] Trossard, on the left, didn't produce enough to create danger for United.
"They need a leader to lift the spirit of the team. They need someone to make them understand when they are on the field they need to play with more energy and take more risks because they have the quality. It is a disappointing performance as they didn't express themselves."
Arteta was actually asked about Vieira's after the game, but the Arsenal manager appeared to take the criticism in his stride. He said:
"That’s fine. We accept every opinion, where it’s coming from. They have the right reason to say it. At the end, we have to show the mental strength that we have on the pitch when it comes to a match day. I think we started the game really well, the first half hour we were very dominant. After that we gave them the goal.
"Errors are a part of football, very unlike us, but we gave them the goal and hope, and that shifted the energy because from half-time we really struggled especially to keep the ball in the right areas.
"In the second half they had two brilliant goals, some individual quality and magic moments. I think we managed to shift the energy, score the second goal, and you could feel that everything changed. The game was ready to go and win it."
Arsenal travel to Leeds United next in the Premier League, while Man Utd have the chance to make it three wins in a row under Carrick as they host Fulham.