Arsenal had beaten Manchester United at Old Trafford for the first time in 14 years last weekend in what appeared to be the latest sign the Gunners are heading in the right direction under Arteta
Mikel Arteta
Mikel Arteta admitted Arsenal were unrecognisable from the side that has made plenty of progress in his first year in charge as Aston Villa stormed to a comprehensive 3-0 win at the Emirates on Sunday. Bukayo Saka's own goal and a double from Ollie Watkins took Villa up to sixth, just three points off the top of the table with a game in hand. Arsenal had beaten Manchester United at Old Trafford for the first time in 14 years last weekend in what appeared to be the latest sign the Gunners are heading in the right direction under Arteta.
But the Spaniard suffered the joint heaviest defeat of his managerial career in a chastening evening for the hosts, who were second best from start to finish. A second consecutive home defeat for Arsenal sees them slip to 11th, four points off their major target for the season of a Top-4 finish. "We performed below our standards and I have to say it's the first time I've seen us play and we weren't a team," said Arteta.
ADVERTISEMENT
"We lost all the races, the duels and we were sloppy on the ball. It is frustrating. It takes a lot to build momentum, to build a way of being, living and performing and when something like that comes up it's a hard one to take." Aston Villa had lost their last two matches after a stunning start to the season that included a 7-2 thrashing of Liverpool a month ago. But Dean Smith's side did not look like a team lacking confidence as Arsenal struggled to cope with the movement of Jack Grealish, Ross Barkley and Watkins. "We're a threat with them in the team. They're all blossoming really well but there's more to come from them," said Smith.
Keep scrolling to read more news
Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.
Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news
This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
