Mikel Arteta admits Arsenal had 'courage' issue in second half against Liverpool

Mikel Arteta says Arsenal’s second-half performance against Liverpool lacked “courage”.

The Gunners were 2-1 up at half-time and Arteta described their display in the opening 45 minutes as “total domination”.

Goals from Bukayo Saka and Mikel Merino, either side of Virgil van Dijk scoring, had put Arsenal ahead but Liverpool snatched a point late on through Mohamed Salah.

“Very proud of the team for different reasons,” Arteta told Sky Sports.

“The first one because of the courage, quality, the domination in the game we wanted to play especially in the first-half.

“The score should have been even bigger in my opinion, some big chances. Then it is true that we had to make chances. They came out a little bit, we didn’t have enough courage to play in the first phase more than we should have done.

“Especially in that first phase, as I said, we needed more courage to play like we have done in certain moments and it is what we created big opportunities [with].”

The draw means that Arsenal are now third in the Premier League and they are five points off leaders Manchester City.

“You don’t want to be in that position,” said Arteta. “You want to be five points ahead but this is where we are.

“The team is alive, the team wants it. I feel it every single day. The players that cannot play, they are upset that they are not playing.

“The ones getting injured, the ones that are there they are in a good moment. Things will turn up and we are going to be in a better place. But we are certainly there.”

Arsenal had impressed in the first-half against Liverpool and they could have been further ahead after a dominant performance.

“Very proud of the team, especially with the situation we are going through at the moment - probably you cannot imagine,” said Arteta.

“I think in the first half it was total domination, we were really good, really dominant, really efficient and the result probably should have been bigger.

“Without conceding nothing basically we gave two goals away. That’s the really frustrating part, and that we couldn’t see the game out, especially looking at ourselves and two things that we didn’t do in certain aspects.”