Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta
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Mikel Arteta was in no mood to discuss Arsenal’s fading Premier League title hopes following a frustrating 1-1 draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday.
The Gunners salvaged a point thanks to Declan Rice’s stunning 74th-minute equaliser, which cancelled out Bruno Fernandes’ sublime free-kick just before halftime. However, Arsenal’s struggles in front of goal were once again evident, with just one win in their last four games leaving them 15 points behind league leaders Liverpool.
Gabriel Martinelli made his return as a second-half substitute, but with Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus, and Bukayo Saka all sidelined, Arteta’s attacking options remain limited. While Saka is expected to return before the end of the month, the Arsenal boss dismissed suggestions that the club’s lack of January reinforcements was to blame for their recent struggles.
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“It’s not about that,” Arteta responded bluntly when asked whether the decision not to sign a forward in the winter transfer window was now proving costly.
Mikel Arteta man 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/AAC40Fljfp
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With the Gunners slipping further from the title race and facing a battle to secure a top-four finish, Mikel Arteta was pressed on whether he still harboured hopes of catching Liverpool. His response was brief: “No, thank you,” before swiftly exiting his interview with Sky Sports’ Patrick Davidson.
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Mikel Arteta was left rueing his side’s cutting edge in the final third. “I’m very frustrated that we didn’t win the game because that’s how we prepared for it,” he said.
“I think we were really good in the first half in terms of dominance, in our high press, dealing with direct play, getting out of the press and arriving to the last 20 metres. Then we lacked to put the knife through with more decisive actions, more accuracy in that ball to threaten more.
“We had two or three big moments without giving them nothing, then in one long ball we don’t manage the recovery ball in the right way. We make a foul and you have to rely on the quality of the position. They have one chance, they score and from there, it’s game on. That gives them momentum, belief and energy.”
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