David you probably can’t believe you have lost that game?
We didn’t deserve to lose it.
In recent weeks we have made individual mistakes defensively which has cost us in games, maybe a goalkeeping mistake or whatever. But today, the mistakes was not taking our chances when we had them, that would be the disappointment.
Apart from that, I thought the players did a great job, really well. Made several chances but we couldn’t convert them.
Thoughts on the goal and VAR? Have you had a chance to watch it back?
I’ve seen it a bit on the iPad at the time and I don’t know what you want me to say.
Someone makes a decision and it’s supposed to be correct so I am really stuck for words now, I don’t know what to say to give you a line on it at all.
Frustrating to have so many chances, you could have been 3-0 up at half time?
We should have been in front, we played well.
We didn’t start the second half as well but after the first ten minutes of it we grew back into it and looked more likely. In some ways, I have made more chances here at Arsenal than I have made in a long time and that is the most disappointing thing.
That was the mistakes, not taking them or making the right choice of pass to score which for us, at the moment, is as bad as a goalkeeper making a mistake, a defender slipping over or whatever so we have to make sure that when we get the chance, we take it.
How is the dressing room? Deflated or positives to take from today?
Well, I think they played really well the players and I have told them that, really well. You think of the performance at Liverpool and we played well there, played well against Southampton and then again today but we have only taken three points from those three games.
So, I’ve said to them I am pleased to say well done but I am not going to keep doing it until we start getting more points. I’d rather play not so well but winning games because that’s what we need, we need the points.
But you can’t fault the player for effort, commitment, attitude – everything was spot on. Quality at times? Yeah, but none of the big things which if you’re a supporter you want to see.
The players gave me all that and more.
Enjoy going up against Mikel for the first time as a manager?
Not when I lose, no.
But he will go on to be a very successful manager, I have no doubt about that.
Today was probably as close as you have come to winning here as a manager?
No I’ve come close here a few times before. Today was close too but it’s always a difficult place to come, they’ve always had good teams have Arsenal, today we had a chance but maybe for a couple of things going our way, a decision, you know very good referee and linesman who gave offside, but somebody else chose to change their mind.
Is that the most annoying thing for you?
It’s the one rule that everybody says is factual so some will agree with it, some wouldn’t. It must be given as a goal because the people who factually look at these things say so but there is a good chance next year that won’t be given as a goal because maybe we change the rules next year.
Difficult to pick up Michail Antonio after that?
I think Mikey gives us so much, so many things and he has improved, his fitness levels are up, his game is up, he’s improving but you’re talking about the big games and the moments when you get the chances at Arsenal you need to take them.
Just like the defenders make sure they don’t lose concentration at any time, I just felt like we messed up a good couple of chances to score. Mikey is doing well though.
Going back to VAR, when the flag goes up then defenders might stop…
Yep, they do.
This occasion it was strange, sometimes they don’t put their flat up at all but this time, they scored and it went up. So it gave me the real feeling that, if you look at hat the PGMOL say they get 95 per cent of the decisions right, so I thought when the linesman put her flag up she got it right and believe she did get it right.
Because on a lot of those occasions, many even, but I am glad she put her flag up, I don’t like it when they don’t put it up, it’ll end up causing injury or other things if we allow play to go on at times.
It’s taken several tortuous minutes and a computer breaking it down to pixels to prove a lineswoman and a referee wrong. How is that clear and obvious?