Mikel Arteta admits 'something is missing' in Arsenal's attack as he bemoans Gunner stars for letting two-goal lead slip against Aston Villa
Share:
Mikel Arteta admitted ‘something is missing’ in his Arsenal team as they blew a two-goal lead to draw against Aston Villa and plummet further ground behind leaders Liverpool in the title race. The Gunners looked to be on course for victory after Kai Havertz doubled their lead eight minutes into the second half, following Gabriel Martinelli’s first-half strike.
![[Arteta lamented his side's mistakes as the draw left them six points behind league leaders Liverpool]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/18/22/94249773-0-image-a-55_1737238365939.jpg)
But Villa staged a stunning comeback, halving the deficit through Youri Tielemans' header on the hour mark before equalising eight minutes later with an Ollie Watkins volley. The result leaves the Gunners six points behind Arne Slot’s men who also have a game in hand. The Reds overcame Brentford earlier in the day with two injury-time Darwin Nunez goals.
![[Ollie Watkins scored late with a great strike the Emirates to take a point for Villa]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/18/22/94249817-0-image-a-58_1737238515548.jpg)
Arteta said: ‘In attack, in defending, the level we are playing is so, so, so high. But there is something missing and that line is so thin and we have to find it. ‘Today how we concede goals cannot be part of our game if we want to be up there. Today it was clear we conceded two goals.
![[Arsenal thought they had scored a winner only for the goal to be ruled out for this handball by Kai Havertz]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/18/22/94249821-0-image-m-60_1737238571751.jpg)
Mikel Arteta admitted ‘something is missing’ in his Arsenal team as they blew a two-goal lead to draw against Aston Villa. Arteta lamented his side's mistakes as the draw left them six points behind league leaders Liverpool. 'After everything done with discipline, commitment, resilience, quality, that line is so thin especially against them, we have been punished before and you cannot do it.’.
