Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta, claimed his team had done enough to win all three points against Sheffield United yesterday.
The Spaniard was suitably impressed with what he saw from his team, although he was disappointed to see his Gunners side not get the three points.
Despite leading at half-time, Arsenal allowed the Blades back into the game. A late goal from John Fleck proving enough for Chris Wilder’s men to snatch a point.
However, Arsenal were, to many onlookers, second-best for equal periods of the game. And while Blades boss Wilder insisted his team were not at their very best, it’s hard to say Arsenal were the better team.
But Arteta insisted his team should have won following the game, saying:
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“I’m very disappointed today. I think the performance deserved three points and I think we lost two points,” Arteta said. (Arsenal FC).
“In the Premier League, if you don’t put the game to bed then in the last 10 or 15 minutes this type of team just need a long ball, a second ball, a set-piece, and you can give the points away. That’s it.”
The draw meant that the Gunners’ erratic form under Arteta continued. The Blades, meanwhile, maintained their top-half place but dropped to seventh, behind Wolves.
Not as clear-cut as Arteta says
It’s easy for the Arsenal manager to sit back and say he feels his team were the better side.
For parts of the game, they were. However, Sheffield United also had enough of the game to easily have snatched more than just a single point from the game. Furthermore, it was the Blades who looked more likely to win the game in the final ten minutes.
It wasn’t a bad performance from the Gunners. But if Arsenal are to progress and get back to fighting for a Champions League place, then there surely has to be a greater performance demand than what they put on today.