Arteta laments wasted chances after narrow Liverpool defeat
Arsenal could not hold onto their unbeaten record heading into the international break after conceding a late free-kick to Liverpool.
Mikel Arteta was left to rue Arsenal's missed chances as they suffered their first defeat of the Premier League season to Liverpool.
Dominik Szoboszlai's stunning 83rd-minute free-kick secured a 1-0 win for the reigning champions, maintaining their 100% record this term while ending Arsenal’s in the process.
For Arsenal, it was a first away defeat in the top flight since a 1-0 loss to Newcastle United in November 2024, ending a run of 15 games on the road unbeaten.
The Gunners are now winless in their last 13 Premier League matches at Anfield (D5 L8), a run that dates back to September 2012, when Arteta was playing for the side.
Arsenal did have more shots (11 to Liverpool's nine) and generated more expected goals (0.55 xG to the Reds' 0.45), but they only mustered one attempt on target, which came from Noni Madueke in the 21st minute.
Arteta believes his side did not deserve to leave Merseyside empty-handed, though he acknowledged they were lacking an extra level in the final third.
"I am very disappointed with the result," Arteta told Sky Sports. "I'm very proud of my players.
"Both [sets of] players had to dig in to a level where there was nothing between the two. It was going to be decided by an individual error or a moment of magic.
"You cannot dominate here for 90 minutes; it is impossible. At the end of the game, I said we have to find a way to win these big matches.
"You have to put the ball in the back of the net when you have it. We were much better than last year, when we drew [2-2] here, much better. We have to put the ball in the back of the net if you want to win the game.
"We lost Martin [Odegaard], we lost Kai [Havertz], and then we lost Bukayo [Saka]. In the warm-up, we lost [William] Saliba."
Odegaard was able to come off the bench for Arsenal in the second half, though the Gunners had been forced to withdraw Saliba only five minutes in.
Arsenal have been linked with a move for Bayer Leverkusen defender Piero Hincapie, who is reportedly flying to London ahead of a proposed loan move, which would be a boost to Arteta's squad.
New signing Eberechi Eze made his debut by coming off the bench with 20 minutes to play, and he finished the game with a 100% passing accuracy, including four passes in the final third, more than Gabriel Martinelli, who he replaced, managed in 70 minutes (two).
Asked about Eze's involvement, Arteta defended his choice not to use him from the start: "He's been with us for four or five days, that is all.
"We fully believe in the players that played. You have to take a lot of positives from the game. I haven't seen Liverpool at home suffering like they did against us."
