Arteta fumes as Gunners fall to Magpies
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta tore into his side after their 2-0 Premier League defeat at Newcastle United on Monday, saying their performance was nowhere near the level needed to play in the Champions League.
A Ben White own goal and a late strike from Bruno Guimaraes sealed the victory for Newcastle and left Arsenal two points off fourth-placed north London rivals Tottenham with one game remaining.
“It’s extremely disappointing that Newcastle were 10 times better than us and the performance was nowhere near the level we need to be at if we want to play in the Champions League,” Arteta told Sky Sports.
“It’s a very painful one. It was in our hands and today it’s not in our hands.”
With their vastly inferior goal difference, Arsenal must beat Everton on Sunday and hope relegated Norwich City upset Spurs at home to pip them to fourth place.
“There’s always a tiny chance in football,” Arteta said.
“It’s still mathematically possible.” Arsenal’s defeat was a disaster and their players didn’t deserve to be on the pitch, midfielder Granit Xhaka said in a remarkable rebuke of his teammates.
Xhaka did not hold back on what he thought of his side’s performance, which leaves them hoping for a miracle on the final day to avoid a sixth successive season out of Europe’s elite competition.
“It’s difficult to find the right words. From the first minute to the 90th we didn’t deserve to be on the pitch,” the Swiss told Sky Sports.
“I can’t explain to you why. What happened was a disaster performance. You don’t deserve to play Champions League or even Europa League. It’s very hard to take it at the moment.”
The win, Newcastle’s first in the league over Arsenal since April 2018, means Eddie Howe’s side move up to 12th in the standings.
RESULT
Newcastle 2 (White 55-og, Guimaraes 85) Arsenal 0