Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta felt like a missed opportunity to extend their advantage after a goalless draw against Liverpool at the Emirates on Thursday. Arteta admitted his team had their chances in the first half to take a lead but they could not grab them. 

Arsenal and the defending champions huffed and puffed throughout the match but had to share the spoils in the end. 

“Obviously, we wanted to win the game, but we didn’t manage to do that. We were much better in the first half to do that.

“We had more domination, but in the second half we struggled to dominate. We gave some really bad passes, we weren’t compact and they started to drop everyone behind the ball. But they had the ball without being able to have a single shot on target.”

“The movement was there, the arrival was there, the players was there. Today we missed that, but we were so disciplined that we conceded nothing against the champions,” added the Gunners boss.

Discussing his team’s injuries and delight at still being top, Arteta said: “I have to really praise the team, to come out of this period with all the injuries we had to be in the position that we are.”

The Spaniard tactician added that Gabriel Martinelli had no intention to hurt injured Conor Bradley.

“Knowing Gabi, if anyone knows him he’s a lovely guy and he didn’t realise what happened and hopes that Conor is well. Probably he didn’t recognise what happened. I will speak to him.”

“They are the champions let’s not forget that, two days we have to prepare and then we play again,” said Arteta.

Arsenal will next take on Portsmouth in the third round of the FA Cup on Sunday.