Mikel Arteta urged Arsenal to recover from Premier League title pain as the Gunners boss warned Manchester City that he would not accept playing in second place in the Premier League.
Arteta’s side are two points behind City, after their 2-1 win over Everton on Sunday was made meaningless by Pep Guardiola’s side’s 3-1 victory over West Ham. Failure to end a 20-year title drought on the final day of the season meant Arsenal only finished runners-up behind Man City in the following seasons.
But a clearly emotional Arteta issued a call of encouragement to the club’s heartbroken players and fans in an on-field speech immediately after the match. “All this happens because you start to believe,” the Spanish coach said. “You decided to be patient, you decided to understand what we are trying to do and all the credit goes to the team, the players, the staff. Unbelievable.
“Now is the time to rest. Think, reflect and please, keep working hard, keep inspiring this team. Don’t be satisfied because we want more and we will achieve it.” that.”
Kai Havertz scored the winning goal in the 89th minute for Arsenal, but the German player’s goal came too late to help his team turn the tide in this season’s magical race.
Havertz admitted yesterday’s disappointment left a bitter taste, especially after they got through 2024 with a great run, including just one league loss to Aston Villa. But he echoed Arteta, vowing that Arsenal will be stronger once the pain subsides.
Havertz said: “I feel sorry for all the Arsenal fans, for us we tried our best but it wasn’t enough. Maybe in two or three months we can say ‘it was a good game’, but right now I feel we deserved more. In the end it wasn’t enough, but we’ll continue next year.
“Sometimes it’s not fair in football, but we have to accept it. Football is difficult, but hopefully Arsenal can come back next year and give Arsenal fans what they need. It’s frustrating. When you see all the fans here, it’s tough, but I can tell them that next year we’re going to be an even better team.”