Mikel Arteta shared his reflections following the 2-0 defeat against Bournemouth on Saturday. The team faced a significant challenge after William Saliba received a red card in the 30th minute for a foul on Evanilson. Goals in the second half from Ryan Christie and Justin Kluivert secured the win for Bournemouth.
“It was a very disappointing evening; I’m sad about the result. It was a really difficult situation once again,” Arteta stated. “Playing here is tough enough even with 11 players, and we made things harder for ourselves by being down to 10 men for 60-70 minutes. However, I cannot fault the players’ effort; they showed tremendous desire and determination.”
He added, “This is now the third time this has occurred in eight games; it’s becoming a recurring issue that’s hard to manage. Being reduced to 10 men early on complicates our game plan, especially with our current injury list. Still, the spirit and work rate from the team were commendable.”
Arteta noted that the team managed to contain Bournemouth for the most part, except for one incident at the beginning of the second half. He highlighted a key moment in the game when Gabriel Martinelli was one-on-one with the opposing goalkeeper but failed to score, after which they conceded a goal from a set piece.
The manager also expressed gratitude to the supporters who passionately backed the team throughout the match at Vitality Stadium. “Thank you for traveling and for the reception you gave to the players. Even in defeat, they saw the effort we put in. Today, the responsibility lies with us.”
He concluded, “Football is a game of errors, and unfortunately, we made two major mistakes that cost us the match. We need to learn from this and move forward.”