Mikel Arteta has praised his team’s “personality” and “courage” following Arsenal’s dramatic 2-2 draw against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light this evening.
Arsenal battled back from an early deficit, courtesy of a goal from Sunderland’s playoff hero Dan Ballard, before goals from Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard put the visitors 2-1 ahead. However, a 94th-minute equaliser from substitute Bryan Brobbey ensured the points were shared in a thrilling contest in the North East.
“I feel disappointed and frustrated because we wanted the three points. We had to navigate through a tough game, we knew that. We conceded a goal that was not up to our standards,” Arteta said after the match. “But we showed a lot of personality and courage and totally dominated the game.”
“In the last minute, we had a massive chance to win which I think we deserved, but it didn’t happen.”
Reflecting on being 1-0 down at halftime, Arteta commented: “I wasn’t annoyed, we had to adjust certain things. They are here unbeaten for a reason. You have to be very patient in order to earn the right to dominate the game, and we did much better in the second half.”
Sunderland’s home unbeaten record continues, with Brobbey’s acrobatic late volley sending the Stadium of Light into raptures. Arteta admitted the equaliser was especially hard to take: “It was unsatisfying because I wanted to win and the game was almost there.”
On Sunderland’s resilience, Arteta added: “We knew it was a hard place to come from the beginning. But that is the Premier League—you don’t go anywhere in the Premier League and think you’re going to have a comfortable afternoon. It’s not a coincidence what they are doing and they deserve to be where they are.”
Prior to this evening’s match, Arsenal had only conceded three goals in the Premier League and were on an eight-game run of keeping clean sheets across all competitions. Sunderland emphatically ended that record tonight.
Speaking about the defensive streak, Arteta said: “It hurts especially when it costs you points. We know we have to get better. We learn from the past and get better. There was a pain in my tummy [when the clean sheet record went]. I don’t want to concede any goals.”
Arsenal will now look to bounce back as they continue their Premier League campaign, with Arteta urging his side to learn from tonight’s disappointment and build on their strong performance.
https://hayters.com/arteta-proud-of-personality-and-courage-arsenal-showed-in-draw-against-sunderland/