Arsenal not distracted in Brentford draw – Arteta

Mikel Arteta insisted Arsenal weren’t distracted by their Champions League showdown with Real Madrid after a 1-1 draw against Brentford all but ended their Premier League title challenge on Saturday.

Arteta’s side needed a victory at the Emirates Stadium to retain their faint hopes of catching runaway leaders Liverpool. But Thomas Partey’s 61st-minute opener was cancelled out by Yoane Wissa in the 74th minute. Arsenal were not at their best as they struggled to match the intensity that blew Real away in their 3-0 win in the Champions League quarter-final first leg on Tuesday.

With the second leg looming on Wednesday, it would have been understandable if Arsenal’s players were distracted, but Arteta said that was not the case. “The way the feeling was with the players, certainly not. To prepare well, you have to play as well as possible and win the next game,” he said. “We are disappointed with the result. We had full control of the game and conceded a very poor goal.

“It was not good enough, and when you don’t do what you have to do against this team, you concede a goal. “The attitude, if you see at the end we have to play with 10 men and we had two big opportunities to score, you cannot say it is about energy. We play every three days and are used to it, so there is no excuse for energy.”

Arsenal have won just two of their last seven league games, effectively gift-wrapping the title for Liverpool. The Reds are 10 points clear of second-placed Arsenal, who have only six games left compared to Liverpool’s seven. If Liverpool beat West Ham at Anfield on Sunday and if Arsenal lose at Ipswich on April 20, then Arne Slot’s men will be crowned champions if they win at Leicester later the same day.

“An opportunity missed for sure because we wanted to win and increase our opportunities in the league. But we haven’t managed to do that,” Arteta said. “We have to be critical of ourselves, especially with the way we conceded the goal. Now it is time to recover well and tomorrow we have to start to prepare for the most beautiful game of the season (against Madrid).”