EPL 2021-22: Mikel Arteta makes painful admission after Arsenal's defeat to Newcastle

It was another bitter outing for Arsenal in the 2021-22 English Premier League (EPL), as it lost to 12th-placed Newcastle United on Monday night. The Gunners played at the Saint James' Park and succumbed to a 0-2 defeat. As a result, Arsenal has now slipped to the fifth spot in the EPL points table, thus affecting its chances of a UEFA Champions League (UCL) spot. It now has a battle in hand against fourth-placed London rival Tottenham Hotspur, with both teams entering the final matchday of the tournament on Sunday. In the meantime, Gunners head coach Mikel Arteta has pain a painful admission following the latest loss.

Considering the match, both teams turned out to be competitive in the opening half, as it was all goalless. Ben White conceded an own goal in the 55th minute to put Newcastle ahead in the following half, while Bruno Guimaraes struck in the 85th to seal the deal. Arsenal plays a relegation-threatened Everton in its final game on Sunday at the Emirates Stadium, while Tottenham will be up against an already-relegated Norwich City away from home on the same day.

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After the failure, Arteta told Sky Sports, "It's extremely disappointing that Newcastle was ten times better than us, and the performance was nowhere near the level we need to be at if we want to play in the Champions League. I am incredibly disappointed. It's a harrowing one. It was in our hands, and today, it's not in our hands. We have to beat Everton and wait for Norwich to beat Spurs. There's always a tiny chance in football."

"It's true that we could not cope with the game we had to play here. We tried to change some things, but it didn't make it better. We had moments where we looked better, but the execution was so poor, and the goals we gave away were inferior," Arteta concluded.