Mikel Arteta has bemoaned Arsenal ’s unacceptable “standards” shown against Chelsea , calling on his players to step up and “show their teeth” as he prayed that their “nightmare” injury problems finally begin to ease. The Gunners were held to an entertaining 1-1 draw by their London rivals at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, with Gabriel Martinelli’s opening effort on the hour mark swiftly cancelled out by Pedro Neto’s first Premier League goal for Chelsea before a last-gasp chance for Leandro Trossard to win the game went begging. It was the latest frustrating performance in a worrying downturn for Arsenal, who have won only one of their last five matches across all competitions and already appear to face an uphill battle in the title race as they sit down in fourth place and nine points adrift of leaders Liverpool.
And while Arteta was pleased with the fight displayed by his team against Chelsea, he insisted that Arsenal’s defending for Neto’s equaliser fell well below the level that he expects. “I think we dominated them,” the Gunners boss told Sky Sports. “We were the better team in many phases and situations in the game and after going ahead, very disappointed in the way we conceded.
It was so poor. It is not our standards and we don't accept. “Really proud, but at the end we are here to get the three points and we didn't.
It is a second phase set-piece and we were disorganised. We don't reorganise quick enough and you can't allow the pass that wa.