City
Epaper

Arteta admits Arsenal weren't 'ruthless enough' after draw against Benfica

By ANI | Updated: February 19, 2021 10:00 IST

After being held to a draw by Benfica, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said that his side was not "ruthless enough" in the match.

Open in App

After being held to a draw by Benfica, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said that his side was not "ruthless enough" in the match.

Arsenal and Benfica played out a 1-1 draw in the first leg of the Europa League Round of 32 here on Friday.

"I think we had to leave the stadium today with much more than we have right now. Everything is completely open for next Thursday," the club's official website quoted Arteta as saying.

"We have some positives to take from the game because we dominated the game and we had patches of really good moments where we created some big chances. We weren't ruthless enough in the opponents' box and the disappointing thing obviously was the way we conceded the goal," he added.

The match witnessed a tough competition and both clubs managed to restrict each other from taking a lead in the first half. In the 55th minute, Benfica managed to break the deadlock after Pizzi successfully converted a penalty.

However, the lead did not last long as two minutes later, Bukayo Saka netted a goal, bringing the scoreline to 1-1.

Praising Saka's performance, Arteta said: "I think he's in a great moment, he's full of confidence. He's been really important in recent results. His form is probably the highest that it's been since I've been here and he's been really consistent. He needs to keep going and (we need to) be wise with him because at the moment he's a big part of the team."

Arsenal and Benfica will play against each other in the second leg on Thursday.

( With inputs from ANI )

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor

Tags: ArsenalBenficaMikel Arteta
Open in App

Related Stories

FootballFormer Arsenal Player Mesut Ozil Backs Tottenham, Makes Hilarious Promise if Spurs Win Against Manchester City (See Tweet)

FootballBenfica re-sign Angel Di Maria till 2024

FootballWilliam Saliba extends his stay with Arsenal, signs long-term contract

FootballKai Havertz reveals most challenging task against Arsenal during his time with Chelsea

Football"Can't describe how I'm feeling": England's Bukayo Saka after scoring hat-trick

Football Realted Stories

FootballJamie Vardy to leave Leicester City after 13 iconic years

FootballInter Kashi knock Bengaluru FC out of Kalinga Super Cup after penalty shoot-out

Football"Senseless act of violence": AIFF condoles loss of lives in Pahalgam terror attack

FootballKalinga Super Cup 2025: Chennaiyin FC eliminated in pre-quarters after loss to Mumbai City FC

Football"Words fall short": Sunil Chhetri expresses solidarity with victims of Pahalgam terror attack