Mikel Arteta laments worst defeat after Arsenal are thrashed by Aston Villa

Manager accepts full responsibility for 3-0 loss‘I didn’t see my team out there. They wanted it more’

Mikel Arteta described Arsenal’s 3-0 home defeat by Aston Villa as the worst of his managerial career but was at a loss to explain a performance in which – as he put it – “I didn’t see my team out there”. Arsenal were second best in every department and Arteta was scathing about his team’s attitude as well as their execution.

“They wanted it more than us,” he said. “I’m struggling to find the reason, but obviously there was something there. If you can’t defend your box, it’s a really complicated way to win matches. We haven’t been scoring a lot of goals and today we looked open in transition, and if you don’t put chances away you have no chance to win. I take full responsibility.”

Related: Ollie Watkins punishes woeful Arsenal as Aston Villa run riot at the Emirates

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