Exasperated Arteta blames ‘luck’ for Arsenal defeat despite ‘dominating’

Arteta.Arsenal.TEAMtalk2

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta admitted his side are “in a big fight” after their winless league run extended to seven games with a defeat to Everton.

Arsenal fell behind early in unfortunate circumstances when Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s off-target header deflected off Rob Holding to open the scoring.

Nicolas Pepe tucked away a penalty to equalise, but it was the Ivorian’s slack marking that allowed Yerry Mina to nod in the winner uncontested.

Speaking to Sky Sports after the match, Arteta said: “Without conceding much we lost the game on two key moments.

FULL MATCH REPORT: Arsenal in free-fall, as Everton deliver latest Arteta hammer blow

“We reacted really well. We dominated the game. We created enough chances at least to not lose. We hit the bar. We don’t have the luck.

“We are in a big fight. We lost against Burnley without them having a shot on target, and now we lose because of a couple of chances.

“It’s really difficult when you play a team who are defending low and wasting time. We make it difficult for ourselves conceding the first goal.

Rob.Holding.Arsenal.TEAMtalk

“I think we had 15 shots but only two on target. We need to improve our rate, that’s the reality.

“We need to generate more to win football matches. When it comes to small details, the other team wants it more.

“The boys are absolutely still fighting. They’re hurt right now.”