Losing a match in which you’ve taken the lead is always going to invite critics to question your side. That’s even more obvious if the team in question is Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal. Arteta, who used to play for both Everton and Arsenal, had a bad night against his compatriot Rafael Benitez in the opposing dugout. But there were no excuses made.”In the first half, we were very inconsistent with the ball. I didn’t like it. No penetration. One of the few times we did it we scored. Second half we tried to do more of those things, created four big chances but conceded a very sloppy goal when you need to manage the game. We couldn’t take the ball into the final third.”STARS ABROAD: Tyler Onyango features in win over ArsenalDemarai Gray’s added-time winner emphasised Arsenal’s problem of not being able to kill off games in which they get on the front foot. To be ruthless, you need your experienced players to drive the team and make sure the team does the right things in crucial periods of matches. That was missing for Arteta.”When the opponent is there for the taking you have to do it and we haven’t. It wasn’t good enough. Today you have the game under control even though you’re not playing your best and you have to find a way to win it. The way we conceded the goal and losing this match is not something good. Everton were there for the taking and when that happens you have to grab it and kill it. We didn’t do that today. Our players are young but we have to learn quickly.”Arsenal see all the shades of Gray as Everton come from behind to grab a last-gasp winArsenal goalscorer at Goodison Park Martin Odegaard said his side “stopped playing”.”It’s a hard one to take. I think in general we were not at the level we needed to be at today. We had some good moments but we have to do much better. We should have been better.”Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville remembered his beginnings in the Premier League and spoke about how crucial for youngsters is to have senior players leading them by example and with advice on the pitch. In short, there is no leadership.”You need comfort in there. You need that spine. Arsenal’s senior players are not really massive characters. They are not really leaders. They don’t get those young players through those difficult moments in the game so the other players just go under a little. That is natural. I think there is a lot of talent there. The young players are not the problem. The problem in Arsenal’s team is that they have not got the direction or the standards around them to get them through these turbulent moments in big games.”
