ARTETA WALKS OUT AS TITLE CHALLENGE FALTERS

AFTER ARSENAL’S AGAINST MAN UNITED

A visibly frustrated Mikel Arteta walked out of a live TV interview following Arsenal’s 1-1 draw at Manchester United, which left them 15 points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool. The result further hindered the Gunners’ title challenge, leaving them with little hope of catching the champions-elect.

During the post-match interview with Sky Sports’ Patrick Davison, Arteta was asked if he regretted not signing a striker, a topic that has been a point of debate for the club. Arteta’s response was brief and dismissive: “No. It’s not about that,” before he began walking away. Davison pressed him, asking about the 15-point gap in the title race, but Arteta, visibly irritated, simply said “no” and quickly exited the interview, leaving Davison to ask, “Is it too much?” Arteta’s response was a curt “thanks,” as he left the shot.

Later, in his post-match press conference, Arteta was asked the same question about Liverpool’s commanding advantage. This time, Arteta offered a more measured response, acknowledging the frustration of the draw but remaining hopeful. “I don’t want to say that, but today the frustration is that we haven’t won our game,” Arteta said. “We know the urgency, and you’re obligated to win every single match.” Despite the setback, he refrained from declaring the title race over, adding, “I don’t think it’s the right moment to talk about that.”

Arteta also expressed regret over Arsenal’s inability to create clear-cut chances despite dominating possession. “We had some unbelievable situations but we didn’t get the last shot or the last pass. We didn’t capitalise, we rushed the game, we started to lose duels and we could have ended up losing it,” he said, acknowledging that despite their strong first-half performance, they failed to test United goalkeeper David De Gea adequately.

The discussion around the match focused heavily on Bruno Fernandes’ first-half free-kick, which equalized for United. Arsenal’s defensive wall was set up 11.2 meters away from the ball, rather than the required 10 meters, prompting questions about whether referee Anthony Taylor had instructed the wall’s placement or whether Fernandes had moved the ball himself to create more space. Arteta acknowledged Fernandes’ quick thinking but suggested the situation could have been avoided. “If Bruno is on that, football is for smart street players,” Arteta said. “If he’s done that and capitalised on that, he was more clever than us and the referee.”

Declan Rice, who scored Arsenal’s goal, also reflected on the match and accused the team of being naive in the second half. “In the first-half, we had some beautiful bits of play but didn’t have that cutting edge,” Rice said. “In the second-half, we were very naive and almost gave the game to Man United. It’s probably a fair point in the end.”

Rice also questioned the free-kick placement, saying, “It did feel like the ball flew over us at a low height. The wall felt far back.” Despite this, he echoed Arteta’s determination to keep fighting. “Like the manager said, we’ll keep going until the end of the season. Liverpool have been amazing all year. We’re Arsenal. We’ve been hit hard by injuries. We’ll keep going and we’ll be alright.”