Mikel Arteta spoke of his profound frustration and disappointment after his team surrendered a late equaliser versus Sunderland at the Stadium of Light. A injury-time strike from replacement Brobbey earned a point for the home side, who are placed fourth in the table.
“It’s not a nice feeling,” said Arteta. “It’s disappointment and frustration, because we were aiming for the three points. We had to navigate through a difficult match. We knew that. [They were] very disruptive. We had to deal with situations that were obviously hard to manage.”
Former Gunners youth player Dan Ballard had scored first in a opening period that seemingly unsettled the visitors. Questioned about his reaction when the team’s club-record run of eight clean sheets was ended, Arteta responded: “It hurts, because I hate giving up goals.” The team improved after the break and went ahead through strikes from Bukayo Saka and Trossard.
Manager's View of First Goal Conceded
The coach said on Sunderland’s opener: “We let in a score that was not in our standards, but following that, the team responded superbly, showed a lot of character and bravery. Got the first goal, added a second, and we totally dominated the match.
“It’s necessary to depend on protecting the area when they push forward six, seven players in the box. It might come from a direct play, a throw-in, or any scenario. We should have defended it better. And today we haven’t done it, we have conceded a goal.”
Final-Moment Action and Missed Chance
Even after Brobbey’s equaliser, Ballard needed to stop a Mikel Merino attempt. The manager continued: “In the last minute, we had another massive chance to win, which I think we deserved.”
Sunderland Boss Praises Squad’s Spirit
Régis Le Bris praised the “spirit” of his squad, whose motto in last season’s winning streak in the promotion playoffs was: “Until the final whistle”.
“This demonstrates the team has a very resilient spirit,” stated the coach. “It’s still tough facing a side such as Arsenal, among the top clubs in Europe, so you have to do a brilliant performance, otherwise it’s impossible to win something.
“In my view the first half was well balanced, we tried to defend high when we could, organised a deep block, very tight, focused, aggressive, and we had the chance to manage the ball sometimes.
“The latter period was a little harder, because you spend much time defending, and then must remain calm in possession, and we possess a really young squad, 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 after the 2-1, and Arsenal were in control, and they were able to keep the ball. But thanks to the crowd’s support, in my opinion the qualities of our players, and the background we have now, it seems it’s really positive for this faith, and this confidence, that we can change the dynamic.”
