Mikel Arteta admitted he is uncertain if he will be able to deliver a trophy for Arsenal after seeing his side dumped out of the FA Cup by holders Manchester United at the Emirates – a defeat he described as “incredible”.
United played half of a thrilling third-round tie with 10 men when Diogo Dalot was dismissed moments after Bruno Fernandes had put the visitors ahead. Gabriel equalised for the Gunners before Martin Odegaard was denied from the penalty spot by Altay Bayindir.
The stand-in United stopper, hailed a “hero” by United boss Ruben Amorim, made a string of fine saves to take the match to extra time, and then denied Kai Havertz in a 5-3 shootout win to send Arsenal crashing out.
Arsenal’s early exit comes just four days after they were dealt a blow in their bid to reach the Carabao Cup final following a 2-0 opening-leg last-four defeat against Newcastle.
Arteta has revived Arsenal’s fortunes, but the club’s 2020 FA Cup win remains the sole silverware of his five-year tenure.
And when asked if there is a danger his side’s latest setback will have a psychological impact on his crop of players, Arteta replied: “We are relying on not performing like this and waiting for one shot to go on target and score a goal, I don’t want to bet on that. I bet on that team to try to do.
“Are we going to win big trophies? I don’t know. But playing like this, there are very few teams in the world that can play at that level.
“It is incredible how you don’t win that game. The dominance, the superiority, and everything that we did to try to win the game and we didn’t get what we deserved. We go home extremely sad but I cannot be prouder of my players.”
Asked how damaging the past few days could be to Arsenal’s season, Arteta, whose side host Tottenham in the Premier League on Wednesday, said: “I understand the point but it has been a remarkable week when you understand what we did again today after what happened three days ago and what we did to two of the best teams in the moment right now.
“This is what I take. I am extremely disappointed, but I cannot put my focus on that. It would be very, very unfair.”
Minutes after Gabriel’s equaliser, Arsenal were awarded a penalty when Harry Maguire was adjudged to have fouled Havertz.
Maguire was furious with the decision and a brawl followed with Havertz hitting the turf clutching his face after he was confronted by Manuel Ugarte and Alejandro Garnacho. But Odegaard’s penalty was saved by Bayindir, with United posting on X, “justice”, after they won the shootout.
Arteta refused to be drawn on the flashpoints before offering a bleak update on Gabriel Jesus who added to the Spaniard’s injury woes when he was taken off on a stretcher with a knee injury.
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