Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta admits they paid for their errors in Wednesday’s Carabao Cup defeat to Manchester City.
The Gunners were thumped 4-1 in London, as Gabriel Jesus, Riyad Mahrez, Phil Foden and Aymeric Laporte struck for the visitors.
Arteta said, “Against this level of opponent they penalise you and make it very difficult.
“We have a great counter-attack moment but they then score in an offside position and you end up losing the game again.
“It’s a hard one to take considering how the game went. This level of opponent, when you give the goals away it makes the game impossible. A lot of strange things are happening in every game and that makes things really difficult.”
Arteta conceded after the game that Arsenal are stuck in a rut with just one victory from their last six games in all competitions, but remains optimistic he has the characters in his squad to change their fortunes.
“We have to turn it around, there is no question,’ the Arsenal boss admitted after the match.
“If we don’t, we are in big trouble, so that (next run of games) is the moment which is going to decide our season.
“I am focused on the fighters that we have (in the squad), the spirit which we showed tonight again going against a really difficult opponent and the way we tried.
“On the basis of what we showed tonight, I have fighters in my team.”
It doesn’t get any easier for Arsenal though, who are currently just four points above the relegation zone in the Premier League, with a game against Chelsea at the Emirates on Boxing Day to start their season-defining run.
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