Mikel Arteta’s Reaction: What the Arsenal Manager Said About Lewis-Skelly’s Red Card and the ‘Painful’ Loss

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has faced setbacks before, and the recent loss to West Ham was no different. The Gunners had a chance to gain ground in the league but faltered again, missing key opportunities and suffering from self-inflicted mistakes.

Things took a turn when Jarrod Bowen scored, putting Arsenal behind even before Myles Lewis-Skelly was sent off for a tackle. Goalkeeper David Raya had ventured far from his goal, making the situation even trickier.

Arteta didn’t want to linger on the red card incident, saying he didn’t see it clearly and wouldn’t dwell on it. Instead, he emphasized the need to move forward.

Arsenal struggled to find their rhythm. Their attempts at attack were loud yet ineffective, as West Ham maintained solid defense after scoring their counter-attack goal.

Arteta’s Views on the Match

After the game, Arteta expressed his frustration, stating, “It’s very painful. Congratulations to West Ham. I’m disappointed with our performance. We put in a lot of effort, but we lacked quality.”

He pointed out that the team didn’t defend well enough, especially leading up to West Ham’s goal. “Our ball control and consistency were not at the level we need,” he added, taking responsibility for the team’s performance.

On the changes made before the red card, he noted, “We tried to create more threat, but losing a player made it tougher.” He remained optimistic about the season ahead, saying, “We can learn from this. It can happen to any team.”

Odegaard’s Thoughts on Performance

Captain Martin Odegaard echoed Arteta’s sentiments. He felt the team didn’t perform at their best, saying, “We struggled to break through and lacked efficiency in the final third. It was disappointing.”

He acknowledged that injuries have impacted the squad, but stressed the importance of focusing on the players available. “We must keep pushing and learn from today’s mistakes,” he stated. “There are still plenty of games left, and we can’t dwell on this loss.”