Mikel Arteta bemoans Arsenal missed chances against ‘super efficient’ Newcastle
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Mikel Arteta said Arsenal’s 2-0 defeat to Newcastle in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final did not reflect his team’s performance as he hinted the ball used for the game at the Emirates Stadium hindered his players. The Gunners were guilty of missing a host of chances as their hopes of reaching the final at Wembley in March were made to feel distant after an excellent display by Eddie Howe’s side.
Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon were the goalscorers, their finishing casting a stark light over the profligacy of the home side. “It’s not the result that reflects the story of the game but the reality is that they were super efficient with the chances they had, and we weren’t,” said Arteta.
“We were unlucky in moments, you need that certain luck for the ball to bounce and you need that intuition as well. We’re going to have to generate more.”. The Carabao Cup has a different match ball to the one used in the Premier League, something Arteta felt was significant when he was asked to review his team’s wayward finishing.
“We kicked a lot of balls over the bar,” he said. “It’s tricky. This ball flies a lot. It’s just different to the Premier League ball and we have to adapt to that. It flies different, the grip is very different as well.”. Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber both wasted excellent chances for Arsenal, heading off target from close range with the goal gaping, while Gabriel Martinelli struck a post and Gabriel was denied by Martin Dubravka.
