Mikel Arteta was left with a “pain in my tummy” after a last-gasp Sunderland equaliser saw Arsenal’s phenomenal ten-match winning streak come to a chaotic end in a 2-2 draw at the Stadium of Light.
The Gunners fell behind in a difficult first half, conceding their first goal in over 13 hours of football to former academy man Dan Ballard, before goals from Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard seemed to have secured the comeback win. However, a stoppage-time goal from Brian Brobbey snatched two points away in the dying moments.
Arteta admitted the manner of the goals conceded was unacceptable, pinpointing Sunderland’s physical, direct style as the key disruptive factor.
“We had to navigate through a really tough game. It was very disruptive,” Arteta said, detailing the challenge. “They do it really well, and we conceded a goal that is not in our standards. We can defend the action better, and today we haven’t done it.”
The Spaniard also confessed his personal anguish at the end of the club’s record-equalling clean sheet run.
“A pain in my tummy, because I didn’t want to concede any goals. And it was a goal, obviously, that was putting the game in a difficult position,” he conceded.
Despite the frustration, Arteta quickly pivoted to praise his squad’s overall performance and their reaction after going a goal down.
“After that, I think the team reacted really well, showed a lot of personality and courage,” he insisted. “They scored the first goal, they scored the second goal and we totally dominated the game. But they just need a foul or a long throw, a direct ball to create that chaos.”
Ultimately, the manager chose to focus on the bigger picture, with his side still top of the Premier League table.
“We have won the last ten games, not conceded goals, we have seven players injured and the team has been phenomenal in performances and results, so let’s keep going,” he concluded. “It shows you how difficult it is.”