Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has reacted to his team’s 1-1 Premier League draw, saying the Liverpool side he played on Saturday, is one of the best he has seen this year.
Mikel Arteta commended the bravery shown by his Arsenal team during their match against Liverpool, as they managed to secure a draw.
At Anfield on Saturday night, the top two teams in the Premier League clashed, resulting in a 1-1 tie. Gabriel scored an early goal for Arsenal, only for Mohamed Salah to level the score later on.
Despite leading Liverpool by a single point in the league standings, Arsenal had several close calls. Liverpool struck the woodwork on two occasions during the second half. Additionally, a potential penalty for Liverpool in the first half was not awarded, even though Martin Odegaard appeared to handle the ball inside the penalty area.
And a delighted Arteta said: “It was an unbelievable game of football, one of the most intense and hectic I have witnessed in 20 years in this league. It was superb to watch. The boys had the courage to play at that level. I think my players deserve big credit.
“I think the whole team were phenomenal. It is one of the best Liverpools I have seen this year. They made life really difficult and we handled it really well.
“A very different game to last season (when Arsenal drew 2-2 after leading 2-0). With the atmosphere in the stadium they created, it was something else. The maturity and the courage we showed, I think we should be very proud.
“At the end in the last 20 minutes the team was really dominant and we really wanted to get the three points. That’s the only regret after the game.”
At the beginning of the second half, Arsenal faced intense pressure from Liverpool, especially as they played towards the Kop. Arteta commented on the situation, saying:
“We give so many balls away after regaining it and they are really good on the counter-press. We lost it in areas and it could have been punished but we generated a lot of moments they didn’t like.”
For the second year in a row, the Gunners lead at Christmas. However, last season they lost momentum towards the end, allowing Manchester City to secure their third straight title.
And of the top spot, Arteta added: “That shows a lot of consistency for the new group, the best league in the world to lead two years in a row. We are where we want to be both in the Premier League and Champions League.
“But we have to improve specially killing games with the amount of dominance we are showing. Some of the games are too close.”
In other Liverpool news, Jamie Carragher Names Two Players to Be Blamed for Liverpool Draw Against Arsenal