Arteta reveals what angered him most about his players in Arsenal’s 2-2 draw with Fulham

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has expressed his frustration over the team’s defending in their 2-2 draw with Fulham on Saturday at the Emirates Stadium. Despite generating numerous chances and showing great effort, Arsenal failed to secure a win due to their inability to defend crucial situations.

Speaking to Sky Sports after the match, Arteta highlighted the defending of the second goal as the main reason for his anger. He emphasized the importance of defending the box with determination and commitment if they want to achieve victories in the Premier League. Unfortunately, Arsenal fell short in this aspect, allowing Fulham to equalize late in the game.

“With all the effort that we made, the situations we generated, chance after chance, the attitude of the boys, the way the subs came on – then you go 2-1 up, with 10 men, the game is done. You give a ball away, you give a corner, you have to defend that box with your life if you want wins in the Premier League & we didn’t do that well enough.” said Mikel Arteta.

Arteta praised his team’s overall performance, acknowledging their effort and attitude throughout the match. Despite playing with 10 men, Arsenal managed to take a 2-1 lead, which Arteta believed should have been enough to secure all three points. However, a lapse in concentration led to a corner for Fulham, resulting in their equalizer.

The draw against Fulham means that Arsenal now have two wins and one draw from their first three Premier League matches of the season. While it is a decent start for Arteta’s side, dropping points against teams like Fulham can be costly in the long run.

LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 26: Fulham defender Kenny Tete trips Fabio Vieira for the Arsenal penalty during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Fulham FC at Emirates Stadium on August 26, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

The match itself was filled with drama and excitement. Fulham took an early lead through Andreas Pereira’s strike just one minute into the game. However, Arsenal quickly turned things around with goals from Bukayo Saka and Eddie Nketiah in the 70th and 72nd minutes respectively.

With just minutes remaining on the clock, Fulham managed to find an equalizer through Joao Palhinha from a corner kick. The goal came after Fulham had been reduced to ten men following Calvin Bassey’s second yellow card for a foul on Nketiah.

Overall, it was a frustrating result for Arsenal and Arteta. While there were positives to take from their performance, the inability to defend crucial situations cost them valuable points. Arteta will undoubtedly be looking to address these defensive issues and ensure that his team can close out games effectively in the future.