Mikel Arteta, Arsenal's manager, spoke candidly after leading his team to a narrow victory over Wolverhampton in the latest English Premier League match.
Mikel Arteta, the manager of the "Gunners" Arsenal, breathed a sigh of relief after a narrow 2-1 win over Wolverhampton, securing important three points in the English Premier League last night. The winning goal came in stoppage time from an own goal by the opponents. He criticized the poor defensive performance that made the finish tense.
Arteta said, "It was a very important three points, especially considering what happened at the end of the game."
"In the first half, we created dangerous situations but failed to generate clear chances from them. So, we need to improve the efficiency of our final passes because the movement and options inside the penalty area were there repeatedly."
"In the second half, we made some adjustments. We were more efficient, created more chances, and scored. But then we had a two-minute spell where we dropped deep to defend, and our defensive play was very poor. When that happens, even though we hadn't conceded all game, they only needed that one moment to score and put the game in a really difficult position."
"Thank God, in the end, we got the winning goal, which was an own goal by them. Thank God we won the game."
"As for Victor Jékeřes' performance, he was in good positions many times, but the ball didn't reach the penalty area quickly enough or sharply enough. His work rate and determination were there."
"I want to see the same commitment as when we scored the leading goal all the way until the end of the game. Actually, we should have prevented them from scoring at all. However, in the end, we secured the victory."
This victory increased Arsenal's total to 36 points, maintaining their position at the top of the English Premier League.