English Premier League :Arsenal 2-2 Hull City
Danny Welbeck equalized during the added time to avoid Arsenal a disappointing home defeat. Arsnal is now 11 points behind Chelsea after just 8 weeks of action.
Arsenal coach Wenger expresses his opinion on the game:
on the match…
It was a disappointing afternoon because we got a point but we had 80 per cent possession. It is a very disappointing result. We were unlucky with the referee on the first goal but on the second goal we can only blame ourselves. We came out of the dressing room with a lack of focus and gave them the lead straight away. It was difficult. I cannot fault the effort or the heart that we had in the game. The defensive concentration was missing on the second goal and when you make it difficult at that level you cannot give the goals away like that.
on whether they did enough to win…
I think so.
on the dominant opening 20-minute spell…
If you watch the game again you will be surprised that we played better than the result indicates. Even in the last five minutes we had three clear-cut chances on goal. It’s difficult when we play against teams who are physically stronger and organised. It was 10 against 10 in one half and that’s always difficult. This was the kind of game where we couldn’t afford to concede another goal when we came out at 1-1. We know that – we have enough experience to know that and we cannot give a goal away like we did. They had two shots on goal in the whole game. At Chelsea we had three shots on goal in the whole game. We conceded two goals. It’s difficult to score three goals against any team in the world.
on whether another experienced defender would have made a difference…
Look at the two goals and tell me after.
on whether his team knows how he feels…
I think the performance was quite good but we put ourselves in trouble because we gave two goals away. We put our heart and effort in until the last second and I cannot fault the effort, the spirit and the work rate of the team. I’m quite respectful for that.
on what the result is down to…
The first goal is for the referee. The second one is for us and I said that.
on being 11 points behind Chelsea…
Of course [it’s a concern]. I cannot say it’s not a concern, it’s a big concern because the other teams have won their games and we haven’t. I cannot say it’s not a big concern.
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