The Arsenal boss spoke of his profound disappointment and frustration following his side gave up a last-gasp equaliser versus the home team in their stadium. A injury-time goal from substitute Brian Brobbey secured a draw for the home side, who are placed fourth in the table.
“It’s not a nice feeling,” Arteta stated. “Frustration and disappointment, because we were aiming for the full points. We had to navigate through a tough game. We knew that. [They were] very disruptive. We needed to handle situations that were obviously hard to manage.”
Ex- Arsenal academy player Dan Ballard had opened the scoring in a opening period that appeared to trouble the away team. When asked about his reaction when the team’s record-breaking run of eight clean sheets was broken, the manager replied: “A pain in my tummy, since I hate giving up any goals.” The team performed better after the break and took the lead via goals from Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard.
Manager's View of First Goal Conceded
The coach said about Sunderland’s opener: “We let in a score that was below our level, but following that, the team reacted really well, showed a lot of character and bravery. Got the first goal, scored the second goal, and we completely controlled the match.
“You have to rely on defending the box when they push forward six, seven players in the box. It might come from a long ball, a throw-in, or any situation. We should have defended it better. And in this match we haven’t done it, we let a goal in.”
Final-Moment Action and Lost Opportunity
Even after Brobbey’s equaliser, the defender needed to stop a Mikel Merino shot. Arteta added: “In the last minute, we had one more big opportunity to win, which I think we deserved.”
Opposition Manager Praises Squad’s Spirit
The Sunderland manager praised the “character” of his squad, whose saying during last season’s winning streak in the Championship playoffs was: “Until the final whistle”.
“This demonstrates the team has a very resilient spirit,” said Le Bris. “It’s still tough facing a side such as Arsenal, one of the best teams in Europe, so you have to do a brilliant performance, or else it’s impossible to win something.
“I think the first half was evenly matched, we aimed to press high when we could, set up a deep defense, really compact, narrow, aggressive, and we had the opportunity to possess the ball at times.
“The latter period was a bit tougher, because you spend much time defending, and then you have to stay composed in possession, and we possess a very youthful team, really young players lacking extensive know-how in the Premier League, so it’s a good lesson.
“I think we were just on the edge following the second goal, and Arsenal were in control, and they were skilled at retaining the ball. But with the energy of the stadium, in my opinion the qualities of our players, and the background we have now, I think it’s very encouraging for this faith, and this confidence, that we can shift the momentum.”
