In the 20th round of the English Premier League, Arsenal fought with Brighton on the road to a 1-1 draw. After the match, Arsenal's manager Arteta gave a detailed analysis of the whole match and responded to reporters' concerns in the press conference.
Facing the game, Arteta said, "It was a tough away game, we started well, scoring a goal in the first half and not conceding any points. However, in the second half, our ball control slipped and we made a lot of mistakes, which prevented us from building up an effective attacking momentum. Minter's mistakes in the transition between offense and defense were particularly unfortunate and were compounded by the unfortunate penalty."
Arteta was emotional about the penalty: "I've never seen such a penalty in my career, and when I asked the players about it, they also said they had never seen it. When I saw the goal, Joao and Saliba both touched the ball, but the referee's decision was really disappointing."
Talking about his expectations for the call to be overturned, Arteta responded, "Did I expect it? They seemed to check it too quickly and I didn't get an explanation from the referee, nor did I need one. I just think it was an extremely bad decision."
On Nwaneri's half-time substitution, Arteta explained, "He felt muscle discomfort and we had to replace him. It was one of the issues we needed to address during the game."
Regarding the team's performance, Arteta noted, "We need to do better in two areas. First, to strengthen our game control; and second, for certain uncontrollable factors, such as penalty kicks awarded, which can have a significant impact on the game."
On whether his team deserved to win, Arteta said, "We played well on the defensive side, but we could have done better in possession. We didn't create many scoring chances and it was a close game. We didn't play well enough to win the game, plus that disappointing penalty."
In addition, Arteta discussed the team's injury situation, illness and potential reinforcements in the transfer market. He stated, "Given all the conditions, illnesses, injuries and the players we are missing, I think the team deserves more praise. We can't make a judgment based on just one game's performance or one day's situation, there are many factors to consider."
Finally, Arteta looked ahead, "We are well aware of the limited manpower, but we will give it our best. Expect things to improve on Tuesday and we'll do everything we can to win the next game."
