'Nowhere near' - Angry Mikel Arteta slams Arsenal for 'unacceptable' first-half performance against Liverpool

Arsenal looked to be headed for their fifth Premier League defeat of the season after Liverpool took a two-goal lead with strikes from Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz seconds apart. However, right after the second half began, the Gunners pulled one back with Gabriel Martinelli's strike. Mikel Merino then scored the equaliser in the 70th minute before he was sent off minutes later.

Arsenal were able to manage the game after going down to ten men as they secured a 2-2 draw against the Premier League champions. However, Arteta was not happy with the way the Gunners performed through the first half, as he claimed that his side were 'nowhere near' the level shown by Liverpool in the first 45 minutes.

Speaking to the media, Arteta said: “What we did in the first half, in the first 20 minutes, is nowhere near the level so to do it after is too late. We reacted, great, but the standards in the first 20 minutes was unacceptable.

“What disappointed me? A lot of parts, especially the defending standards that we had and the areas that after we gave the ball away, which is totally prohibited against this team, so very far off it, really upset.

“Yeah, we had a reaction, I hate reaction, I like action and especially we want to be there winning trophies. You want to be a moment that you win it or you don’t, and when you don’t have to, you have to play another one that you have been working for nine months, and that’s here today.”

The Gunners' draw has left them susceptible to being caught by Newcastle United and Manchester City with two games left until the end of the season, as Arsenal sit just two and three points away, respectively.