Mikel Arteta expressed his anger and insisted Arsenal must feel the pain of defeat, after their 1-0 loss at home to West Ham United ended their 15-match unbeaten run and left them eight points behind Liverpool in the Premier League title race.
The manager's emotions were evident during his post-match press conference at Emirates Stadium, where his side had previously been undefeated in the league this season.
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"I'm very disappointed, obviously very angry as well," began Arteta. "We have to congratulate West Ham for the victory and the game that they played but I think [there was] a lot on our side we never got right.
"We have to be [angry]. I hope we are, very much, because we didn’t hit the levels today and I’m very much responsible, and I am very angry.
"It’s my responsibility for the team to play much better than it did today. We have to play much better, with much more quality, much more interaction. It's not good enough, that’s on me."
Injuries not an excuse
Arteta declined to blame Arsenal's defeat on the continued absence of several senior players, including the forwards Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus, and Kai Havertz. The Spaniard said: "I refuse that completely because I am talking about the standards of the players.
"The team that played today, myself included 100 per cent, were nowhere near the levels that we have to hit, to have the opportunity to win a Premier League game. We were very consistent [before today], yes, but football is about what you do today and today, it was nowhere near."
Arsenal were reduced to 10 men when Myles Lewis-Skelly was sent off in the 73rd minute, but Arteta wasn't using that as an excuse either.
"I haven’t seen it back but honestly, I would focus on what we have to do," he added. "We should have done better today, it wasn’t enough."
When asked what Arsenal need to do ahead of their difficult next match, away to third-placed Nottingham Forest in midweek, Arteta replied with raw honesty.
"First, we will suffer for 24 hours, and feel the pain," he said. "Then we make sure that we come back [in training] on Monday with that bite and that anger instilled in us for Wednesday."
Arsenal's loss to West Ham means Liverpool will go 11 points clear at the top if they win at Manchester City in Sunday's 16:30 GMT fixture.
Arteta continued: "I’m really, really annoyed with the things that were in our hands that we didn’t do as well as we possibly could and that’s the performance.
"We never got a grip of the game because we're so inconsistent with the ball. We give so many balls away. We never get enough positive sequences of actions, one after the other, that could generate threat and momentum in the areas we wanted to conquer. That allowed the game to be the flick of a coin.
"The moment we got into the areas, then you have to unlock something, and we didn't. That is down to me as well. That is my responsibility and I don't want to take that all to the players. Today we weren't at the level required to be convincingly better than the opponent. It is painful.
"We need to feel the pain today, we deserve it."
Odegaard: Big blow but long way to go
Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard echoed Arteta's frustration, when speaking to BBC Match of the Day: "[It's a] big blow. The performance today wasn't good enough. We're really disappointed," he said.
"We have to see the game back and analyse it but the performance wasn't good enough. I don't think we played on our level.
"We lacked efficiency in the final third - the final pass, arriving in the box. We have to be sharper and better around the box. We struggled to break through and create the big chances we normally create.
"And the goal we conceded is too easy. There are things we can work on."
As for the title race, Odegaard said: "We lost today and we're disappointed but there is a long way to go. We have to keep going. There are still many points to play for.
"It's no time to feel sorry for ourselves. We have to strike back in the next one. We have to find solutions and make sure we improve to strike back straight away."
Pundits: Gunners are lacking ammunition
Two former Arsenal forwards, both of whom won league titles with the club, had a different take on the impact of attackers being absent.
Ian Wright, now a Premier League pundit, rued the lack of signings in the last two transfer windows.
"I think you probably have to look at the summer and January," he said, after watching the defeat.
"Arteta needed help. He has coached the team to this level, but they just don't have the ammunition or energy to break West Ham down. You could see that the fans in the stadium could sense it too.
"It was always going to be a tough one with the forwards missing. You need something to happen with set-pieces, or with someone like Ethan Nwaneri. There was not enough creativity, but you have to give West Ham credit for the defending they did.
"As the game was going, I just couldn't see where the goal was coming from, it seemed like we ran out of ideas."
Meanwhile, Paul Merson told Sky Sports: "Arsenal cannot catch Liverpool. They've got no forward. They've got a young 17-year-old in Nwaneri who has got a bright future but he struggled today.
"[Leandro] Trossard is a bit-part player in my opinion. There's absolutely no chance Arsenal can win the league. Even if Liverpool get beat 7-0 [against Man City], Arsenal cannot win it.
"I've seen enough today to know they are going to struggle until the end of the season. They've got 12 games left and will do well to win half of those."
Arsenal loss is Liverpool's gain
Two pundits on the other side of the title race focused on how Liverpool will benefit from Arsenal's defeat.
"You would be delighted, it means you can have a big slip-up yourself," said Michael Owen, commenting on his former club.
"Not that you're aiming for that but it gives you a real cushion. You're going to a tough place tomorrow [at Man City] and if, worst-case scenario, you get beat, there's no damage done and in fact it's another game ticked off this weekend."
Speaking on Sky Sports, former Liverpool midfielder Jamie Redknapp said: "What a boost for Liverpool. A monumental mistake from Arsenal. The use of [Mikel] Merino [as a forward] just didn't work.
"It takes the pressure right off Liverpool, and it's a big result for them."
