The Gunners suffered an unexpected defeat against Everton as they dropped crucial points in the title race.
Mikel Arteta has admitted Arsenal lacked enough physicality to control the game against Everton.
Having made several goalscoring chances throughout the first half, Arsenal conceded the opener just before the hour mark. The Gunners went all-in with their attacks in the final 20 minutes but couldn’t get past their opponents’ solid backline.
Speaking after the 1-0 defeat, Arteta told BT Sport: “We had loads of the ball but we lacked that purpose and quality in the final third, we generated many chances.
“But then we conceded and they slowed the game down and we struggled.
“They do this to every team, that is their strength with the height, the physicality is their strength, if you want to control the game against them you have to control this. We did not do that today.
“We needed more composure and to control emotionally the game better. We gave away so many unnecessary free-kicks and that’s what they want.
“Today I love them much better than the week before or a month ago. It is easy to be next to someone when they are winning well. I am still so proud of all of these players, they deserve it.
“This is not going to be a rose pathway. This is going to be tricky and we will have to dig in and play much better than we did today.”
Be sure not to miss out on the latest news about Mikel Arteta
Download our brand new App and follow your favorite players, clubs, and much more
