Mikel Arteta made an alarming admission about the Gunners’ recent performances.
The Spaniard, 42, admitted his side lost their grip in a shaky second half despite edging past Shakhtar Donetsk with a slender 1-0 victory.
Arsenal clung on to a narrow Champions League win, thanks to an own goal by Shakhtar’s goalie Dmytro Riznyk before the break, when Gabriel Martinelli’s strike ricocheted off the woodwork.
David Raya emerged as the match’s standout star, with a string of stunning saves in the dying minutes ensuring the Gunners kept their cool to chalk up another win in Europe’s premier competition. This came as a sweet return to form after their domestic stumble over the weekend.
Despite Leandro Trossard’s botched penalty in the latter stages adding to the nail-biting finish as the guests laid siege for an equaliser, Raya remained unshakable between the sticks.
(Image: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
Reflecting on whether Trossard’s fluffed spot-kick epitomised Arsenal’s less-than-assured second-half, Arteta confessed to Amazon Prime Video Sport: “Probably. I don’t know if it was related to fatigue as well, what we’ve been through, but it’s true.
“Credit to Shakhtar as well, they’re a good team under the conditions that they play in. They want to play, they are brave, they are good players, when you give them time on the ball and you lose the ball in the wrong areas, you’re gonna suffer,” reports the Mirror.
“[We are] very pleased with the result. It’s always difficult in Champions League. We should’ve scored more in first half and the second half I felt a bit of fatigue. Playing 60 minutes with 10 men a few days ago is difficult. We left the game a bit open but we dug in for three points.”