Arsenal boss Arteta pinpoints Porto moment that left him "very disappointed"

22 February 2024 , 05:00

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Mikel Arteta, speaking after the loss to Porto (Image: TNT Sports)

Mikel Arteta admitted Arsenal were brutally punished after suffering a last gasp Champions League defeat.

Porto forward Galeno hit a stunning 94th minute winner to leave Arsenal in serious danger of a European exit after they failed to register a single shot on target in the Estádio do Dragão. Gunners boss Arteta was frustrated with his team’s approach but also the way they defended on the last gasp goal to leave them needing to turn the tie around at the Emirates next month.

Arteta said: “Obviously I am very disappointed with the way we gave the game away at the end. Not managing that situation well enough. You get punished in the Champions League. If you cannot win it, you don’t lose it.

“We really dominated the game but we lacked purpose, especially in the first half. You need to have much more aggression, you need to break lines, to play forward and generate much more threat on that backline.

“In the second half there were much better things and we generated a lot of situations, without really creating much from it. We will learn from it.

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“It was the last ball, so if in 94 minutes they haven’t had any naivety other than that one, I think it’s a bit cruel to judge it like that. But it’s true that it has had a big impact on the result. A lot of other things they did for the first time here were very good.”

Arteta insisted he was determined to end Arsenal’s poor recent run in the Champions League having not reached the quarter finals for 14 years. But Arteta insisted they can still go through and was unhappy with Dutch referee Serdar Gözübüyük for failing to take a better control of the game.

Mikel Arteta gives instructions to his players on the pitch

Arteta said: “Now it is clear, it is half-time. If you want to be in the quarter-finals you have to beat your opponent and that will be the purpose and the plan, with all our supporters together.

“That’s the context of the game (number of fouls). It’s something we know and that we have to prepare. It’s something that the referee has to manage. We cannot do anything about it and we’ll have to handle it and play our game.”

Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice told TNT Sports: "When it's 0-0, you look up at the clock and it's 93 minutes gone, if you aren't going to win the game then don't lose it. Maybe have the bit of savviness about us to stay in and get a draw in a tough stadium against a tough opponent. A lot to play for in the second leg.”

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John Cross