'We know this route is taking us nowhere', Mikel Arteta blasts Arsenal performance against Brighton
Mikel Arteta, Arsenal vs Brighton, Apr2022
Brighton ended a seven-game winless streak on Saturday as they claimed a 2-1 win against Arsenal in the Premier League.
The Seagulls took a 2-0 lead thanks to goals either side of half time from Leandro Trossard and Enock Mwepu, and Martin Odegaard's late strike wasn't enough to rescue any points for the Gunners.
The result means the Gunners have now lost consecutive league games, as they slowly lose grip on the presitgious fourth place in the Premier League.
After their shock 3-0 loss to Crystal Palace last weekend, Mikel Arteta would've wanted to see a response from his players in Saturday's showdown, but the north London club struggled to deal with an energetic Brighton side.
What's more, Manchester United's loss earlier in the day gave Arteta's side a golden opportunity to open up a gap on their top four rivals, an opportunity they evidently let slip.
The visitors take all three points.
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) April 9, 2022
? 1-2 ? (FT)#ARSBHA pic.twitter.com/5E7muKfVh8
Following the full-time whistle, Arteta criticised his side's first half performance, suggesting that their current form is "taking them nowhere".
"The first half was really poor again," said Arteta.
"The reaction we wanted to show and talked about we really didn't make it happen on the pitch, we were sloppy on the ball, second best again in situations and didn't show momentum in the game or play with the right speed.
"What happens now is we criticise ourselves a lot, we were really poor again in the first half. We know this route is taking us nowhere."
Things could've been different for the Gunners if Gabriel Martinelli's header on the stroke of half time was allowed, and Arteta felt after the game that his side were hard done by with the VAR decision.
But while the Spaniard suggested that he didn't agree with the decision, he refused to use the disallowed goal, or the club's current injury crisis, as an excuse.
Granit Xhaka was deployed at left-back for the clash, with both Kieran Tierney and Takehiro Tomiyasu unavailable for selection.
"That was the feeling we had," he added. "It was taking too long and if there was any doubt it would be a goal but that wasn't the case - it was the best moment to change the momentum.
"We know with the team we have available, the difficult challenge we have ahead that is for sure. The injuries make the situation more complicated but we are not looking for excuses."
