Press conference

'It's an obvious and clear penalty'

Mikel Arteta left Turf Moor disappointed on Saturday, and just before that he sat down for his post-match press conference over Zoom.

Here's what the manager said:

on creating chances...

We created, but we didn't score enough. We gave a goal to the opponent and then don't get the decision that we should get. It then becomes very difficult to win the game.

on whether we should have had a penalty for the first incident...

I think it's obvious and clear, I think there is no debate about that. If that is not a penalty, then would someone explain what a penalty is in this league.

on whether he have to congratulate Burnley for defending well...

Well, there were open situations that we created. One v one situations, cut-backs in the box. We hit the bar, the post, we got a shot blocked when their goalkeeper was already beaten. But as well, when you come here and you want to be one of the top teams, you have to come here and win the game comfortably. We haven't done it because of the chances, because we gave a goal to the opponent and because you need the decisions and we didn't get them.

on how frustrating it was to give the goal away given the level of control we had...

Yes, but it can happen in football. We did it usually with Bernd trying to use the holding midfielder in that situation and we scored a goal with Auba, all the way from Bernd Leno. We conceded one [other] chance and that chance comes from Bernd Leno deciding to kick the ball long and we could not control the second ball with an open structure. It's what it is, it's the way that we play and the way that I want to play. We just have to know the risk and the rules that we have in certain areas in terms of the type of balls we have to play. But it is what it is.

on how he stops giving away cheap goals on a regular basis...

Well, we are talking about it all the time and just trying to nullify anything that we give to the opponent. In the last few weeks, we have done that. We have to improve that individually, as in the end we have to make decisions on the pitch and it looks easy from the outside. It's not that easy away from home, but if someone makes a mistake because they're playing the way we want to play, I will always support them. If someone is hiding and doesn't want to play and then makes a mistake, I'm not going to have that.

on whether this is the end of any realistic European chances via league performance...

It's really complicated at the moment. It's true that the feeling that I have with the way we are playing is that we can win any game, but as well, as you mentioned before, if you are giving something to the opponent, obviously the game is all the time on the line. This is where, in my opinion, we have the biggest margin of improvement. But anything can happen.