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Last Update: March 10, 2023, 09:19 AM IST
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta (AP)
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was unhappy with the north London side as they conceded two goals for the second game in a row
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta on Thursday urged his team to improve their defense after struggling to earn a 2-2 draw with Sporting Lisbon in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 tie.
Arsenal went ahead in the 22nd minute through William Saliba, but Goncalo Inácio equalized in the 34th minute, before Paulinho made it 2–1 in the 55th minute. The visitors finally equalized in the 62nd minute through Hidemasa Morita.
Arteta was unhappy with the north London side as he conceded two goals for the second game in a row following a 3-2 Premier League win over Bournemouth last weekend.
“We’re conceding a lot of simple goals and we’ve talked about the importance of the box, and especially in a competition where you’re inside or outside,” Arteta told reporters.
“Today we didn’t defend well enough, and we have to do better against our opponents.”
Arteta said the squad lacked its usual attacking threat due to the absence of some key players, including striker Gabriel Jesus, who had not yet reached full fitness after suffering a knee injury at the World Cup in early December.
“We had some positives as we showed a lot of resilience to get back into the game, but we need to defend our box better and we have to be there in the return leg to beat them,” Arteta said.
The second leg will be played in the Emirates on 16 March.
Premier League leaders Arsenal, who have a five-point lead over second-placed Manchester City, travel to Fulham for Sunday’s league game.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)
