By Hugh Lawson
LONDON (Reuters) – Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said his side did everything they could have done to win on Sunday at Fulham, but he praised the home side for their early goal and dogged defending.
“Gutted that we didn’t win it because I think we deserved to win from the beginning to the end,” Arteta told reporters.
Fulham’s Raul Jimenez scored early at Craven Cottage, and William Saliba equalised for the Gunners at the start of the second half.
Fulham held on for the draw despite Arsenal having 70% possession and peppering Fulham with six corners. Arsenal have now scored 23 league goals from corners since the start of last season, more than any other team in the league.
“We did almost everything that we had to do to win it,” Arteta said.
“This is the quality of the opposition and the league so you cannot cry about it. For millimetres we could have been here with a really dominant win,” he said.
“It’s never enough if you don’t score three, four or five. If they (opposition sides) play 11 direct balls I want to win 11. We want to win 100%,” he said.
Fulham have been a thorn in Arsenal’s side, getting the better of them last season with a win at home and a draw at the Emirates.
But Arteta defended his makeshift back line on Sunday when asked if they would have conceded the early goal to Jimenez had injured defender Gabriel Magalhaes been available.
“I cannot promise you with different personnel it wouldn’t happen. Sometimes you have to praise the opposition,” he said.
“We had to change the whole unit. That’s it, they (injured players) are not available. We have to respond to that, and I’m very happy with the way they did,” he said, praising defender Jakub Kiwior in particular who stood in for the missing Gabriel.
(Reporting by Hugh Lawson; Editing by Toby Davis)
