Mikel Arteta urged Arsenal to accept their point and move on after the Premier League leaders blew a two-goal lead to draw with Liverpool, claiming the result was just.
Arsenal looked set to reclaim their eight-point lead over title rivals Manchester City after Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus scored in the first half.
While Mohamed Salah missed a penalty after pulling a goal back, Roberto Firmino came off the bench to score his 11th Premier League goal against Arsenal, trailing only Harry Kane (14) and Wayne Rooney (12) in the competition.
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Arteta, speaking to Sky Sports after the draw, bemoaned Arsenal’s loss of control after a blistering start, but admitted Liverpool deserved their share of the blame.
“Very intense game. The game was under control but just before half-time we conceded a really sloppy goal and the game shifted momentum,” Arteta said.
“We had to reset after half-time and started well in the first few minutes, but then we lost control. It became a very transitional game, very chaotic.
“Liverpool could have scored three or four. It is true we could have scored two or three, so maybe at the end the score is fair.
“We could take three points. We should have played like the first half for another 15 minutes and then the game would have taken a very different trajectory. We didn’t. We have to take the point.”
When asked why Arsenal couldn’t maintain their early dominance, Arteta replied:
“I haven’t seen anybody do that here. Nobody.
“They [Liverpool] beat every big team here, they played Real Madrid and could have been four up after 20 minutes.
“They are going to have moments. You need to deal with them and we did. Our goalkeeper had a big part in that.”
The result leaves City six points behind Arsenal at the top of the table, with a game in hand and a home match against the Gunners scheduled for April 26.
When asked what the outcome meant for the title race, Arteta stated:
“We have to move on, and convince them to keep playing like we did in the first 30 minutes.”
Arsenal has now gone winless in their last ten Premier League visits to Anfield, drawing three and losing seven, conceding at least twice in each game.