Arsenal gave up a 2-0 lead against Aston Villa just hours after super-sub Darwin Nunez came to the rescue of title rivals Liverpool, with Mikel Arteta replacing him Sorry for the choice at the table.
The Reds fielded substitutes Nunez, Andrew Robertson, Federico Chiesa, Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott, and their dominance and fresh legs ultimately overwhelmed the Reds. Rrentford, beat west London 2-0 in stoppage time.
After Aston Villa eliminated Arsenal's lead by the same scoreline, leaving them in danger of six points adrift of the league leaders, Arteta made one change from his bench with eight minutes remaining. Raheem Sterling was brought on for Gabriel Martinelli on the minute - a change that ultimately failed to result in victory.
The Gunners have lost key players at both ends of the pitch but their attempts to sign an out-and-out striker in the summer failed, leading Arteta to admit he feels he doesn't have the same options as his rivals. He made a game-changer from the bench as his players struggled with physical exhaustion in their third game in six days.
Arsenal are already 12 points adrift of winning positions in the Premier League, their biggest drop in a season in five years and three more than last season, and their other substitutes against Villa include Three academy players, three left backs and backcourt players. Midfielder Jorginho.
"There were moments where obviously they (Liverpool) managed to do it (win)," Arteta said. “They made the bench, the bench made an impact and changed the game.
"On our side it was the opposite, even after conceding two goals very close. The danger is that I know half the team could go off the rails because we ran out of energy."
"I'm immensely proud of this team. It was a great performance. But I'm very disappointed because the way we defended the second goal cannot be the way we play if we want to reach the highest level in this country." part. This is nowhere near the standard required.”
Arteta seemed to hint that they needed reinforcements in the January transfer window to support the level of performance he believed they would achieve against Villa, with midfielder Thomas Partey filling in at right-back due to Villa's defensive shortfalls.
Arsenal have been linked with a January move for last summer's key striker target Benjamin Sesko sky sports It is understood the club are trying to recruit a striker before the end of the month but are unwilling to pay the potentially hefty fee that would come with a winter transfer window.
Asked whether the club had to make a move in the transfer market this month, the Spaniard replied: "When you look at performances, I don't know how many teams are at this level in the league. But when you look at "The bench, you might say we're short."
William Saliba was absent against Villa, with the club describing it as a "minor issue", with Arteta adding: "We'll have more information on Sunday, but am I worried? Yes, of course, especially It’s the numbers we have on the team and look at our bench.”
Arsenal injury list - Saliba adds worries
The Gunners are currently missing:
- William Saliba
- Bukayo Saka
- Gabriel Jesus
- Ethan Nwaneri
- Ricardo Calafioli
- Ben White
- Takehiro Fuyasu
Are Arsenal's title hopes dashed?
Sky Sports' Nick Wright at the Emirates Stadium:
How costly this will be for Arsenal remains to be seen, but the frustration inside the Emirates Stadium speaks for itself. So was the frustration among the home players as they left the pitch.
Of course, Arsenal still have 16 games to play. But Liverpool has 17 points and is already 6 points ahead. As things stand, that's a huge gap, and worryingly, it's only going to get bigger.
The Gunners dropped just nine points from winning positions last season, the second-lowest number in the Premier League. But their defeat to Villa means their tally for the season has reached 12 games.
It's a worrying statistic for a team known for its defensive resilience under Mikel Arteta, but there are also issues in attack and opportunities continue to be overlooked.
The game may yet have its twists and turns, but with Arsenal depleted by injuries and Saliba now listed as absent, they have the air of a team struggling to keep up.
Arteta has no complaints about handball decisions
Kai Havertz looked to have won the game in the 88th minute, but his goal was dismissed by VAR after he blocked Mikel Merino's shot with his arm.
Arteta initially said he didn't see enough perspective to put the narrow win into perspective, but later admitted that denying his side a late victory seemed to be the right decision.
"Yes, I saw it," he told BBC Sport. "From one angle it doesn't look like (handball), but from another angle it does look like handball.
"The decision has been made. Without this goal we would have passed up a lot of other opportunities."