Mikel Arteta declared himself "really disappointed" despite Arsenal fighting back from three goals down to claim 3-3 draw with West Ham United on Sunday.
The Gunners paid for a poor start at the London Stadium as they fell behind to early goals from Jesse Lingard, Jarrod Bowen and Tomas Soucek.
However, they reduced the deficit when Soucek was forced to put through his own net before the break, and it was game on when Craig Dawson did the same following the restart.
Alexandre Lacazette subsequently completed the turnaround with a header 10 minutes from time to earn the visitors a share of the spoils.
But, speaking after the game, manager Arteta could not hide his disappointment over a sloppy start that had given his side a mountain to climb.
He told Sky Sports: "I'm really disappointed because I cannot accept my team to play the way we did for certain periods in the first half because what I expect is the team to play the level we showed afterwards.
"We played incredibly well, we should have scored six or seven goals, but we had two faces and the first face is about giving goals to the opponent and not doing what we have to do and that is not good enough.
"The first goal, it can happen. It's a really good combination, they do that, they play that channel well and have players in the box and scored a brilliant goal, it's fine.
"The way we concede the second one is unacceptable, the third goal is unacceptable, and we still gave them one more – a throw-in and they hit the post.
"For the rest, [I liked] the attitude, the desire that we showed and the togetherness that we showed, because at 3-0 it's really difficult to do what we've done.
"I have no doubts because we talked about it and I can see every day the energy and the cohesion the players have. We came really close to winning, I thought we deserved to win in the end, but the first part really worries me."
Arteta's opposite number David Moyes struck a more positive note, despite the fact his team threw away a sizeable lead.
"It was a really good game, a tough game, lots of goals. We played very well, especially in the opening 30 minutes, we were excellent," Moyes said.
"Unfortunately, we gave them a goal just before half-time from a deflection which I think the shot was going wide and it gave Arsenal a bit of a foot up. That made it more difficult.
"We played very well for long periods; Arsenal played very well, but Arsenal are in good form at the minute and showing good things.
"It wasn't a great result for us after going 3-0 up but it was still a good result. We've still kept ourselves moving along, it was a tough game for us and we showed that we're up there competing with the best teams."
The Hammers find themselves in the midst of a perhaps unexpected push for Champions League football this season, but missed a chance to go level on points with fourth-placed Chelsea.
Still, Moyes remained sanguine about his team's position given the manner in which they have exceeded all expectations thus far.
He added: "It's been a long time since we've finished above Arsenal in the league at West Ham, so we've done our best to make sure they can't catch us.
"We're trying to stay in the top half of the league, I think at the start of the season if we'd said that we'd have said it's [going] good. But now we want more, now I'm greedy.
"You should see the dressing room, they're devastated because they haven't taken all three points. It's a good sign for a manager, though."
Football rumours: Real Madrid, Chelsea and Saudi clubs eye Victor Osimhen swoop
The Daily Mail reports that Real Madrid, Chelsea and Saudi Arabian clubs are spearheading a pursuit for Victor Osimhen, with the possibility of the 24-year-old striker pushing to leave Serie A side Napoli in January.
Staying in Italy, the BBC reports that Roma could look to make a move for Tottenham’s Eric Dier in January. The 29-year-old England international has yet to feature for Spurs this season and is out of contract next summer.
Manchester United will open contract talks with Hannibal Mejbri to keep him at Old Trafford, according to the BBC, although Spanish side Sevillia are rumoured to have their sights set on the 20-year-old Tunisia midfielder.
Social media round-upAccording to the Transfer News Live Twitter account, Barcelona has verbally agreed to a 35 million euro (£30m) fee with Manchester City to see Joao Cancelo‘s loan turned into a permanent move.
Players to watchJadon Sancho: The i reports that the soured relationship between the England winger and Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag may be beyond repair.
Chelsea: Italian football site Calciomercato reckons the Blues are on the hunt for a new left-back, and the Stamford Bridge club apparently have their eyes set on Inter Milan’s Federico Dimarco and AC Milan’s Theo Hernandez as their first stops in the January transfer window.
On this day in 2004: Wayne Rooney scores stunning hat-trick on Man Utd debut
Wayne Rooney marked his Manchester United debut in sensational fashion with a Champions League hat-trick against Fenerbahce, on this day in 2004.
Sir Alex Ferguson had been waiting for the teenager’s foot injury to heal before throwing him into action after paying Everton £27million for his services.
It took Rooney 17 minutes to open his account, firing in an unstoppable shot from just outside the box, and he grabbed his second 11 minutes later with another well-struck effort.
The 18-year-old saved the best for last, sending a free-kick flying into the net nine minutes after the break to complete his treble.
Ferguson tried to play down Rooney’s achievement afterwards, saying: “It’s a great start for him. That’s why we signed him as he’s got great potential.
“But I would rather talk about the game to be honest. He is only 18 and a young boy, don’t forget.
“He obviously tired in the last 20 minutes but, given that it was his first game since the European Championship, you could expect that. I think he can only get stronger.
“The important thing for me as a coach is to allow the boy to develop naturally without too much public attention. I want him to be as ordinary as he can.”
Hype was inevitable, of course, and Rooney remained the centre of attention throughout his 13 years at Old Trafford.
He became United’s record goalscorer with 253 goals before leaving the club in 2017.
Gareth Bale part of Welsh delegation to help UK and Ireland Euro 2028 bid
Gareth Bale will boost the bid from the UK and Ireland to host Euro 2028 by joining the Welsh delegation in Geneva next month.
Bale, the Wales men’s team’s most capped player and record goalscorer, retired from football in January after an illustrious career that saw him win five Champions League titles and three FIFA Club World Cups at Real Madrid.
The 34-year-old has now offered a helping hand for Wales to become a Euro 2028 co-host alongside England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Republic of Ireland.
Turkey are also in the running to stage the tournament, with the final decision to be made in Geneva on October 10 when Bale will be present.
Football Association of Wales chief executive Noel Mooney said: “We are hoping for a successful bid and Gareth is very much part of the FAW and what we do. He has been identified as one of the faces of the bid presentation.
“Gareth is globally famous. You can get into a taxi in Sydney or Peru and if you mention you are from Wales they will say ‘Gareth Bale’. It is an instant reaction.
“When I go home to the west of Ireland the first thing people say to me is ‘how is Gareth Bale?’
“Gareth is so good for us. We went to him and asked him if he would get involved in the Euro ’28 bid and he just said: ‘What can I do for Wales?’
“It was instant – ‘how can I help you get the bid over the line?'”
Ten stadia across the five nations would host matches if the Euro 2028 bid is successful – Wembley, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the Etihad Stadium, Everton’s new Bramley-Moore Dock Stadium, Villa Park and St James’ Park being the venues in England.
A redeveloped Casement Park in Belfast, the Dublin Arena in the Republic, Hampden Park in Scotland and the Principality Stadium in Wales – the 74,500-capacity home of Welsh rugby – would also stage matches.
The Principality Stadium would be referred to as the Cardiff National Stadium during the tournament due to UEFA rules over sponsorship.
Wales hope to stage as many as six matches if the bid is successful, with Mooney having said last October that Cardiff could be in line to stage the opening game of the tournament.
Mooney said: “Six games for Wales has been mentioned before, but it is ultimately up to UEFA to decide on the division of games, qualification from the five host nations and things like that.
“We’re lucky in that we have a fantastic stadium to offer in a magnificent city. Cardiff hosted a very successful Champions League final in 2017 and UEFA were very happy with it.
“But we feel we can get more out of hosting a series of games than from a stand alone match.
“There were tens of thousands of Spanish and Italian fans in Cardiff for Real Madrid against Juventus, and they all had a great time. But they were gone the next day.
“What the 2016 Euros did for France as a brand, and 2024 will do for Germany, was fantastic.
“The Covid-hit Euros weren’t the same and the World Cup in Qatar was a different experience.”
Mooney is confident that work on upgrading the Principality Stadium to meet UEFA standards will be completed should the bid from the UK and Ireland prove successful.
He said: “Cardiff Council and the Welsh Government are backing the bid and are happy with the projected return on investment.
“Millions of pounds will need to be spent on the Principality Stadium to get it up to scratch. It needs new floodlights and a scoreboard.
“There are also issues over hospitality numbers and the TV compound. But these are all things that will be resolved.”
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
