Arteta, however, praised the Arsenal players for coming back from behind to win the intriguing London derby.
By Kehinde Okeowo
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has admitted he was disappointed after Chelsea forward Morgan Rogers scored an early goal against the Gunners in their 2-1 London derby win on Sunday.
He expressed his frustration, despite picking up the three points, in his post-match press conference following the encounter at the Emirates Stadium while speaking to Sky Sports.
Rogers, whom Arsenal tried to sign during the summer transfer window but failed to secure, opened the scoring inside 90 seconds with a low shot from just outside the box.
However, Mikel Arteta’s men fought back to equalise through Kai Havertz before the half-time break.
Arsenal captain Martin Ødegaard then scored the winner in the 50th minute of the encounter after profiting from an assist by Christos Tzolis.
Speaking about the early goal conceded by his team, Arteta said: “I was very disappointed with the way that we conceded the first goal, and we talked about it, but it’s as well a credit to them and the finish from Morgan (Rogers).”
He, however, praised his team for coming back from behind to win the derby, adding that “it was an absolute joy to watch” Arsenal play and compete.
ALSO READ: Arsenal come back from behind to beat Chelsea 2-1 at the Emirates
He added: “But the way that we reacted and the way that we played – it was a fascinating game.
“I think, from start to finish, it was an absolute joy to watch our team play, compete, show composure and personality, and the threat that we generated, along with some huge individual performances.
“And the atmosphere in the stadium as well — it was just something great to witness.”
Meanwhile, Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso attributed his team’s loss to the North London club to his side’s failure to control the game.
He said: “It has been a very intense game with different moments for everything.
”We had chances to equalise. In the first half, as well, a couple of chances. You are never happy if you lose.
“After we scored, there were 15–20 minutes where we had to defend too much, and we were struggling a bit to gain control.
“We then had better spells with the ball. Overall, it was a very tight, very intense game. We could have done better with the second goal, which we conceded too early. The guys gave everything, tried everything. It has to hurt.”
