Tomkins marks 200th game in defeat
The central defender admitted though he can’t remember being involved in such an end-to-end game saying: “I couldn’t believe we couldn’t get that final goal.”
But he added: “To concede two against a team like Arsenal is always going to give you a mountain to climb.
“We threw everything at them. Sometimes you need a bit of luck and we didn’t get it, where in other games we may have done. I don’t think we should feel too down. The kitchen sink got thrown at them.”
He mused: “I had a chance, and I think Stewart Downing had one too, and sometimes you need that bit of good fortune. We’re bitterly disappointed but we’ll be back stronger knowing we can play like that against a team like Arsenal.”
Tomkins played his 200th games for the club and said: “I can look back at it and be proud, but hopefully there’s many more to come. It would have been nice to reach 200 with a win – that would have made it better, but it’s a proud moment.
The lads have put a big shift in these last few days, with two games against great opposition. I’m suspended for Thursday’s game against West Bromwich Albion now after picking up my fifth booking, but the lads will be firing and ready to go and as a team we need to beat them.”