Mikel Arteta is poised to oversee another trophyless season in North London. (Picture courtesy of Sky Sports)
Arsenal’s Premier League title hopes took yet another dent when they were held to a 1-1 draw away to Manchester United on Sunday.
Truth be told, it should’ve been a win for the Red Devils on their home turf, but failure to convert chances was a flagrant issue amongst the attackers – particularly Rasmus Hojlund, who featured for only 14 minutes off the bench.
Yet, it’s been that torrid a season thus far that Ruben Amorim will likely take what he can get. It’s a point on the board against one of the division’s current high performers, and they were the major favourites to win the contest ahead of kick-off – despite it taking place at Old Trafford.
Mikel Arteta was – unsurprisingly – bitter over the night’s affairs, with his side only able to rescue a point through Declan Rice’s 74th-minute strike, after which the midfielder bizarrely celebrated by shushing the Stretford End – as if he’s not on course to oversee another trophyless season since departing his boyhood club for the Gunners.
Arteta storms out of post-United interview
The rest of the away players had been considerably substandard. Much will be made of their lengthy injuries list and, while that is, indeed, detrimental to their performances, this bottling of a title race is now a prominent theme of Arteta’s tenure, even with a fully-fit squad.
He’s well aware of that, too. The Arsenal boss was in a foul mood when addressing reporters after the full-time whistle had blown, so much so that he walked out of his interview with Sky Sports after being asked whether their 15-point gap to Liverpool was now too large to overcome.
Arteta was questioned: “Do you regret not signing a striker in January? Perhaps that extra player could’ve [made a difference]?”, to which he sighed and responded, “No, it’s not about that.”
Take a look at his comical reaction below when the reporter further pressed on Arsenal’s position, having dropped points for a third successive match.
Mikel Arteta hurried out of his post-match interview when asked if the 15-point gap to Liverpool was “too much”. pic.twitter.com/VSs9uQWjdg
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) March 9, 2025
Footage courtesy of Sky Sports.
