Every word Mikel Arteta said on Arsenal’s Villa loss, Trossard, Mosquera and title race

Every word Mikel Arteta said in his post-match press conference after Arsenal were beaten by Aston Villa

Mikel Arteta spoke to the media following his side’s heartbreaking last-second defeat at Villa Park. Emi Buendia’s 95 ^th -minute winner, with only four minutes of added time being given, ended an 18-game unbeaten run for the club.

As a result, it closes the gap to their chasing rivals in the title race with Unai Emery’s side very much involved. There were updates from the manager on Cristhian Mosquera and Leandro Trossard too.

However, the focus was very much on the impact of this on the title race and the potential longer-term effects on his side. Yet Arteta claimed there were learnings to be taken despite the nightmare result.

Here is every word from the Arsenal manager following the result:

I suppose you must feel quite frustrated, having worked so hard to get back in the game, only to lose it with the very last kick. You seemed to make a bit of a change as well, with taking Trossard off. Was that tactical as well, or more about his fitness?

Obviously, we are extremely disappointed with the way we lost the game. But first of all, congratulations to Villa, because they are a really good side and they are really good at what they do. We had some difficulties in the first half, especially with very unusual giveaways that we had given after regaining the ball, which is a really dangerous moment against them.

But apart from the Watkins situation, which is a foul, I don’t recall anything apart from the goal. In the second half, we started really well, much more positive, we generated chances to score the goal. My feeling was that we were going to go and win the game.

We could have lost it before, again, with two very dangerous individual giveaways. And we didn’t. We had two chances to score, the last one when the ball crossed Declan and we didn’t capitalise on that.

The next ball kicked long, it was their second ball, we put it away for a throw-in. They play fast, a lot of chaos in the box and they managed to put the ball in the top corner, which is the quality of this league. That’s the summary.

How much of a blow is that for you? You’ve dropped now seven points in five games, despite playing pretty well in a lot of those. You could have been well clear, and it’s a much tighter base now.

But that’s the league. You go to Old Trafford, you go to St James’ Park, you go to Chelsea, you come here, we’ve been in a lot of difficult grounds, and today the result could have been different. The reality is not, and that’s the step that we have to make.

We’ve been 18 games unbeaten and still we are there, very close to each other. And that’s the level of the league and we know that, that’s the opportunity that we have ahead of us. And that’s it, now it’s time to bounce back.

They have given me all the right reasons to think that we’re going to continue to perform at the same level, because what the boys tried to do today, again, with the schedule that we had, it was amazing. So, move on.

You mentioned the schedule there. Do you think it became a bit too draining for you guys in the last 10 minutes? Spurs, Chelsea, Bayern, it was all just too much on your legs?

I don’t know. At some point, I thought we were going to win it, and there were moments when we gave very strange giveaways that are nothing to do with us.

It’s football as well, but the boys are willing to put absolutely everything. They tried, the situation with Leo is the same. He could only play a certain amount of minutes.

We made the decision to do it early and he would have to do it after. That was the reason why we had to change him and learn from it and go again.

That was your sixth different back four of the season. Obviously, Chelsea have been two really difficult away games. You’ve not had Saliba or Gabriel through them. How big of an impact does that have on the expectations for a game?

It is what it is. I think we have to cope with that. We’re going to have to cope with that for a period of time as well.

We know that and the team has to be able to adapt that. Don’t look for excuses. Obviously, we know what those two bring, especially in games like this. But the other two, I think they were exceptional as well today. So, that’s it.

Is there a case here of when you go behind in a game, trying to get results out of it, obviously against, I think, Sunderland, Chelsea, City, where you’ve gone behind and must have a draw body to defeat today? Is there a need to try and make the most out of games when you go behind?

Well, we try, we’ve done it on many occasions. Today, I certainly had the feeling that we could do it. But the game was constantly at the edge because we gave two balls away as well. Very dangerous.

Those open situations, again, man-to-man in the last line, they are really good at taking those chances. But, yeah, we have to learn from it. The way we conceded the first goal as well, very far from our standards.

So, that’s learning that we can take from ourselves. And then, credit to the opponent as well, because I think they are a really good side.

You said Villa are obviously a very good side. Do you think they are in the title race now as well?

Well, yeah, we look at where they are, the way they play, they have beaten some big teams, especially at home. So, yeah, everybody’s going to have to play everybody. So, at the moment, they are where they are and we are there as well.

Can I just ask on Mosquera, you said he was going to have some more tests. It sounds like it could be five, six weeks for him. How long is he going to be out?

He’s going to be out for weeks. Unfortunately, it’s much more than what we expected, the way he was feeling. So, he’s going to be out for weeks.

The players obviously look very tired at the end to lose a long, I think, in the fashion they were beaten. What was their mood in the first few games? They’ve got big games coming up this week.

Yeah, well, I mean, everything that they have put in the last two weeks and the results that we got, the performances, and to lose it that way emotionally is very touching. You just feel that, yeah, everything that you put, it hasn’t been worth it. But it is worth it, because we will learn again from today and it will make us a better team again.

There will be a lot made off the back of this, with the title race is on, it’s tightening up. How confident are you that the players can cope with those ups and downs?

Well, it’s been five months in the competition, and so far we’ve coped. But we’re going to have to prove that we can cope again, again, again, for another six months, that’s the level. So if you see me at this moment with ten points clear, I think we’re leaving a different world.