Furious Arteta Delivers Scathing Verdict as Arsenal's Winning Streak Crashes to a Halt

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta expressed frustration over his team's conclusion to their winning streak following a display against Sunderland that fell "below our standards" according to the disappointed Spanish manager.

During 90 challenging minutes at the Stadium of Light on Saturday night, Arsenal allowed as many goals as they had conceded since late August (two). Ex-Gunners youth product Dan Ballard opened the scoring in a difficult first period for the away side, bringing an end to a streak of 881 minutes without allowing a goal.

Sunderland had foreshadowed Ballard's opener, which resulted from a breakdown following a long set piece delivered into Arsenal's penalty area, with an almost identical sequence moments before. The attacking defender capitalized on his second chance, getting past Declan Rice to fire a strike under David Raya's goal frame.

It proved to be a "truly memorable" occasion for Ballard, who developed through Arsenal's academy system and hails from a household full of supporters of the north London club, and an extremely disappointing one for Arteta.

The Gunners manager experienced "discomfort in my stomach" following the conclusion of his team's shutout run. "They performed admirably and we allowed a goal that falls short of our standards," Arteta expressed his anger. "We could have defended that situation more effectively and today we failed to do so; we gave up the goal."

Arsenal reorganized during the break and pulled themselves ahead through strikes from Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard. However, another instance of confusion in the penalty area, initiated by Ballard's header, enabled Brian Brobbey to secure an injury-time leveler.

"The final emotion is letdown and annoyance because we desired all three points," Arteta reflected in his post-game media session. "Naturally it stings, particularly when it costs you valuable points. We understand that we must perform better, and despite conceding goals, there are aspects we need to enhance with possession. I consistently emphasize that point, and that's the reality. Take lessons from what happened and move forward."

Arteta's Half-Time Message to Spark Revival

There was no rousing address from Arteta during the half-time break in the depths of the Stadium of Light. His instruction was straightforward: prevail in your personal contests.

Riccardo Calafiori shared the concise tactical discussion with Arsenal's official platform: "[Arteta] simply stated that we needed to essentially triumph in our challenges and then from that point we could begin to execute our style, so that's what we accomplished."

The statistics don't entirely back up Calafiori's account. Arsenal secured 57% of all challenges in the opening half on Saturday before that percentage fell to 52% in the latter 45 minutes. Sunderland's leveler originated precisely from the Gunners failing in two consecutive duels.

"I believe you would have witnessed on the field in the second period, I think we earned it, we performed superior to them and just in one moment you concede, and you tie the match, but this represents the standard," Calafiori sadly summarized.