Mikel Arteta after Arsenal’s FA Cup exit: ‘It really hurts’ FA Cup

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Frustrated Mikel Arteta lamented his side’s lack of ‘target and determination’ after Arsenal were kicked out of the FA Cup by superb Nottingham Forest side, saying they weren’t hungry enough to turn the match in their favour.

Louis Graban’s 83rd-minute win sealed a strong relationship in favor of the championship team and Arsenal, whose only real chance was spoiled by Eddie Nketiah, rarely threatening to convert a 67% stake in possession into goals. This means they are knocked out of the competition that Arteta won in the 2019-20 season, his first season as a coach, and he was frustrated by the mediocre nature of their show.

“It really hurts,” he said. “It’s a competition closely related to our history and getting out of it today is a big bump.

“I’m really disappointed with the performance, first of all. Not with the attitude, but how much we had a goal and the determination we showed to change the game when it’s hard to play against her. [them] And the way they play. We needed more leadership, more hunger to win at all costs in every business, and so much more. We weren’t there at our level today.”

And he replaced Arteta Nuno Tavares in the 35th minute after a trembling performance from the second left-back and confirmed that it was not due to injury. “I just needed to try and improve the performance with the team,” he said. “I understand [that it will make a story] But I have to make the decision to try to improve the team’s performance when I see it’s not going any other way.”

Arsenal missed a number of first-choice players, including Granit Xhaka, after testing positive for Covid-19, but Arteta said he did not expect defeat. “I know because I’ve played in matches like this for the past 18 years, it’s not surprising the difficulties you’re going to face, but when we do we have to face it differently,” he said.

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Forest manager, Steve Cooper, was understandably happy with his team’s application. “The players really got involved in what it takes to win,” he said. “No matter who we play, we want to play a certain way. It’s great to do it against a team we don’t face a week, a week away.”

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