Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta expressed his anger after his side were forced to battle back from 2-0 down to claim a draw at Liverpool on Sunday.
The Gunners paid the price for a lacklustre start as they conceded twice in quick succession early on to the newly-crowned Premier League champions at Anfield.
They battled back to draw 2-2 with goals from Gabriel Martinelli and Mikel Merino – who was later sent off – but that could not mask a poor opening in which the Gunners could have been punished further.
With Arsenal having appeared to struggle following their Champions League semi-final loss to Paris St Germain in midweek, Arteta described the first-half performance as “unacceptable”.
Asked to elaborate how, he said: “A lot of parts – especially the defending standards and the errors after we gave the ball away, which is totally prohibited against this team. We were very far off it.
“I was really upset. Yes we had a reaction, but I hate reactions – I like action, especially if we want to be there winning trophies.”
He added: “What I saw in the first 25 minutes or 30 minutes, I was killing myself. Sorry with the words that I use.”
It has been a frustrating second half of the campaign for Arteta with their Champions League woes this week coming after they failed to challenge Liverpool for the title in the Premier League run-in.
The Spaniard felt the second-half response by his team exacerbated his irritation because they should have been producing such a standard more regularly.
He said: “I think it makes it worse. You miss half of the team again — and we have done that for nine months — and you can still (come back) from 2-0 at Anfield.
“We played the way we played, came back and maybe should have won it – (though) at the end maybe lost it – while having to play for a sixth time in the season with 10 men.
“If we want to really win it, (we need) the consistency level for 95 minutes.
“I don’t like to talk about the players that are not here and the excuses, but I am disappointed.”
Arteta admits his team will have to improve next season, with discipline a key area.
He said: “They won it, I think they fully deserved to win it. They have been so consistent and that’s it.
“We are going to have to be better, smarter, be with the right ability.
“For sure, don’t play six times in the season with 10 men, because if that happens, we won’t win it next season, for sure. We (need to do) a lot of learning.”
