Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has said that his side put in enough effort to win the game against Nottingham Forest. The Gunners remain top of the league but will rue their missed chances to extend the gap at the top.
For the first time in over a decade, Arsenal recorded 0-0 stalemates in the Premier League, starting with Liverpool and yet another drab draw against Nottingham Forest at the weekend.
A win against Forest could have seen the Gunners extend their lead to nine points at the top, but missed chances mean they only enjoy a seven-point lead at the moment.
Speaking after the game, Arteta said about his side’s result: “We came here to win the game, that’s clear, and we needed the opportunities that we had,” he said at full-time.
“We haven’t managed that, so the word is disappointment. We haven’t conceded anything, any single shot again, and generated four massive chances with Martinelli with an open goal, with Declan Rice, Merino, and then Bukayo Saka’s header with an unbelievable save, and on top of that, a very clear penalty as well that has not been given.
“So after that, it’s pretty difficult for us because it’s a team that is very well organised and very difficult to generate a lot of momentum throughout the game, so it’s disappointing.”
There was a penalty appeal for what looked like a clear handball against Ola Aina late on, which VAR reviewed, but Mikel admitted his main frustration was with the chances his side failed to convert.
“You need [to take chances], especially to open them up, especially the way that they played,” the boss added. “We tried in many ways, we made changes, we tried to have more people in the last line, to have very creative players in and around the box. When you get into those moments, you have to make it happen if you want to win and we didn’t manage to get it done.”
The game was Arsenal’s third match in a run of four in a row across a period of just 10 days, squeezed between the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg away to Chelsea last Wednesday, and a trip to Inter Milan in the Champions League on Tuesday.
“At the end, it’s another little step and the schedule is very, very demanding,” Mikel said. “We came two and a half days ago to play against Chelsea in the semi-final, they both made a huge effort. We have a game in three days against Inter Milan, then Man United, so yeah, reflect today and tomorrow we go again.”
