Mikel Arteta lamented Arsenal's miss in the 2-0 Carabao Cup semi-final first leg loss to Newcastle, and suggested the ball used in the contest was a contributing factor.
Arsenal wasted a string of chances at the Emirates Stadium as goals from Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon put Newcastle in control ahead of the second leg next month.
The Gunners had 23 shots worth 3.09 expected goals, but were able to direct only three of them on target, with Gabriel Martinelli hitting the post in the first half and Kai Havertz wasting their best chance of the second half when he sent a free header wide. From a close distance.
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Highlights of the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg between Arsenal and Newcastle United
A number of other chances flew over the crossbar and Arteta pointed to the differences between the ball used in the competition, made by Puma, compared to the one used in the Premier League, made by Nike, when reflecting on Arsenal's goalscoring struggles in his press conference.
Asked what he could do to help his players improve their finishing, he said: “Nothing, just try to show them and give them tips on what we can do better.
“I think we kicked a lot of balls over the bar and it's difficult for that ball to fly a lot. We discussed that as well, so there are details we can do better.”
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Kai Havertz misses a great scoring opportunity
When asked again about the ball, Arteta added: “It's very different, it's very different to a Premier League ball, and you have to adapt to that because it flies differently. When you touch it, the grip is very different as well, so you have to adapt to that.”
“But in the end, it's over, there's no way back, it's about the next game, and this is our world, the reality of our world.”
Arsenal had no such problems in the previous rounds of the competition, scoring a total of 11 goals in their clashes against Bolton, Preston and Crystal Palace while using the same ball.
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Gabriel Martinelli hits the post
But against Newcastle, their finishing contrasted sharply with Newcastle's ferocity, with two goals coming from just seven shots.
Arteta added: “If you look at what the two teams did and controlled the match, it is clear that the result is not the one that reflects the story of the match, but the truth is that they were extremely efficient in the opportunities they had, and we were not like that.
Arsenal failed to score from 23 shots on goal
“There are things we could have done better. We were unlucky in some moments. You need a certain amount of luck for the ball to bounce there. You need that intuition as well. If not, we will have to generate more.”
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Jurian Timber heads up from close range
“This is the thing that we can do, then the probability of winning will be higher for us. But certainly, against this team, to produce what we produced, given the last six matches that I watched, I did not see but the result says zero two unfortunately.”
Arsenal head to St James' Park on Wednesday, February 5 with a mountain to climb, but Arteta has confidence his side can turn around the tie.
He added: “We must be disappointed because it is another result we wanted, but this is the truth.” “I have full faith. I saw my team playing against them, and I believe we can do it.”
