Mikel Arteta defends his Arsenal side after a goalless draw with Liverpool that leaves the Gunners six points clear at the top of the Premier League.
Arsenal missed the chance to stretch their lead further against the defending champions on Thursday night, with the match ending 0-0 at the Emirates Stadium. While the result extended their strong position at the summit, Arteta admitted it felt like an opportunity not fully taken.
Despite that frustration, the Arsenal manager was keen to focus on the bigger picture, pointing to a demanding Christmas schedule that included league wins over Brighton, Aston Villa and Bournemouth.
“Every time you don’t win you feel it, because then you start thinking how far ahead you could be,” Arteta said. “But I have to really praise the players individually for what they’ve done in this Christmas period. The demands on the schedule are unbelievable and what they’ve done is remarkable.
“To come out of this period with all the issues we’ve had and still be in the strong position that we are, the boys deserve a lot of credit and everybody’s recognition.”
Arsenal were the more positive side in the first half and found joy down the right flank, with Jurrien Timber and Bukayo Saka repeatedly creating openings. However, the final delivery was missing, and striker Viktor Gyokeres struggled to influence the game, managing just seven touches in a little over an hour on the pitch.
“The movement was there, the arrival was there, the players were there,” Arteta said.
“There were two or three situations where we needed to occupy a space better to score. Against Villa we were excellent at that and that’s why you win those big matches. Today we missed that.”
Arteta also highlighted his side’s defensive discipline against a Liverpool team chasing the leaders. “Even with missing that, we were so disciplined that we didn’t concede absolutely anything to the champions,” he added.
The draw ended Arsenal’s seven-match winning run in all competitions and was the first goalless Premier League meeting between the two sides since August 2015, underlining that the title race remains far from settled despite Arsenal’s commanding position.
