Mikel Arteta defended his decision to replace Martin Odegaard as Arsenal drew 0-0 with Everton and missed the chance to close the gap on leaders Liverpool.
Arsenal captain Odegaard was withdrawn along with Declan Rice after 62 minutes at the Emirates Stadium, with Ethan Nwaneri and Jorginho introduced in their place.
But while Rice's substitution was due to a nagging injury, Arteta subsequently confirmed that the decision to replace Odegaard was due to “tactical reasons” and not related to fitness.
The Gunners struggled to create chances without the Norway international during the closing stages as they failed to capitalize on Liverpool's 2-2 draw with Fulham at Anfield.
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Highlights of the Arsenal and Everton match in the English Premier League
“With Declan, I had to take him out because he was feeling something,” Arteta said. “With Martin, it was a tactical decision to try and change their rhythm, especially on that side.
“If Ethan comes in and scores, would he be a great substitute? If he doesn't, you've taken your captain out. That's football.”
“(His reaction) was the same as (Gabriel) Martinelli's reaction, like everyone else. I'm sure they want to keep playing for 90 minutes. But that's why we have substitutes. To try to help the team.”
Odegaard was not at his best during the match, as he wasted several great chances in the first half and did not create any opportunities, as Arsenal failed to take advantage of its dominance for the second consecutive match in the league after a 1-1 draw with Fulham.
But it was still a surprise that he was left off, given his importance, and the changes did not have the desired effect on Arteta, as Arsenal were unable to create any clear-cut scoring chances in the final minutes as the inspired visitors held out Jordan Pickford for a hard-earned point.
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Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta was frustrated by the draw with Everton
Arteta added: “I am very disappointed not to win the match, because it is clear that there is only one team that deserves to win, and that is Arsenal.” “We didn't give anything away, we didn't concede a shot, we controlled the direct play, we didn't let them go, there were no set-pieces, and our high pressing was excellent.
“We created chances, but in the last 20 meters they were missing goals, which you have to do with all the dominance. But I couldn't ask for more from the boys, except to put the ball in the net.”
Slot pleased with Liverpool's character
Meanwhile, at Anfield, Liverpool battled back to a 2-2 draw, thanks to a late equalizer from Diogo Jota, after Andrew Robertson was sent off for a foul in the 17th minute.
Arne Slott was pleased with his side's character as they maintained their six-point lead over Arsenal, and said Robertson was punished for continuing to play due to injury.
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Goals of the match between Liverpool and Fulham 2-2
“The character that the team showed is what Robbo showed,” Slott said. “If you get a kick like that, two nails on the knee, it might hurt for a few minutes. If you keep running and things get better, that's what we were hoping for.”
“I only had one defender on the bench, and he's not a left-back, so you hope he can get through it and do well.
“But the moment I noticed he wasn't quite himself was the only time they put the ball back and he started running and was able to get back to Ali (Alisson Becker).”
“I felt okay, let's see how this goes, and I think shortly after that he got the red card.
“There is nothing to blame, the character showed his desire to continue as he was hit hard by two blows. Unfortunately, this resulted in him receiving a well-deserved red card.”
Slott praised his players who extended the gap at the top of the English Premier League to five points, as second-placed Chelsea will play Brentford on Sunday.
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Liverpool coach Arne Slott expressed his satisfaction with his team's performance against Fulham
He added: “I think it's the exact opposite of what happened in Girona (winning the Champions League in midweek) where I was happy but not the performance.”
He added: “Here I am very happy with the performance. I could not have asked for more, but of course not with the result because if you waste points in a home match against Fulham, this is definitely not what you expect and what you want.”
“But yeah, being two goals down, everything is going against you, except for one thing, which is our players and our fans, I think we were fantastic.”
