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Arsenal 3-1 Tottenham: Conte reacts to ‘difficult’ derby defeat

Antonio Conte at Tottenham
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The Spurs failed to leapfrogged their arch-rivals from the Premier League’s top spot.

Antonio Conte has admitted Tottenham made ‘big mistakes’ in their 3-1 defeat against Arsenal on Saturday.

The Gunners defeated their city rivals with a dominant display at Etihad. Following an opener from Thomas Partey for the Gunners, Tottenham came back into the game through Harry Kane‘s penalty.

The Spurs missed a few decent chances before halftime, only for Arsenal to secure their win with second-half goals from Gabriel Jesus and Granit Xhaka.

“We had the opportunity to exploit much better in the first half,” Conte told BT Sport post-match. 

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“Instead, we kept the game in the balance, and I repeat that I think we made big mistakes in the last pass and also with easy passes.”

Emerson Royal’s red card just after the hour-mark made it harder for Spurs to push for a possible comeback. 

Asked about his side’s performance in the second half, Conte responded: “In the second half, we conceded early a second goal, and we could do much better in this situation.

“Then with the red card, the game [went]. We tried to play from the back, but it was a really difficult game for us and for the characteristics of our players. I don’t want to comment on the referee’s decision.”

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