Arteta vows Arsenal will keep fighting in title race

Mikel Arteta vowed that injury-ridden Arsenal would keep fighting in the Premier League title race after acknowledging his side’s lack of “courage” in their thrilling 2-2 draw with Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

The Gunners led twice, with Bukayo Saka opening the scoring early on, only for Virgil van Dijk to equalize. Mikel Merino’s header just before halftime restored Arsenal’s lead, but Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah capitalized on a late defensive lapse to level nine minutes from time.

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Arsenal’s backline was heavily impacted by injuries to Gabriel Magalhaes and Jurrien Timber in the second half, compounding a defense already missing the suspended William Saliba and injured Riccardo Calafiori. The Gunners finished the match with an improvised defense, including Thomas Partey at right-back, Ben White shifted to central defense, and teenage prospect Myles Lewis-Skelly covering left-back.

Liverpool seized on Arsenal’s weakened defense, with Trent Alexander-Arnold’s pass finding an exposed Lewis-Skelly, setting up Darwin Nunez to assist Salah’s equaliser. The result leaves Arsenal in third, five points behind league leaders Manchester City, with only three wins in their last seven league outings.

Arteta expressed frustration at Arsenal’s inability to convert their first-half dominance into a larger lead and their lack of resilience after the break. “The first half was total domination, and the score should have reflected that. But without giving away much, we conceded two goals,” Arteta lamented. “We were better by far, but we lacked courage in the second half, which is disappointing and frustrating.”

Acknowledging the toll of their defensive injury crisis, Arteta added, “The situation at the back was a big factor in the second half, but we’ll keep pushing forward in the title race.”