'We Got Punished': Mikel Arteta Rues Errors As Arsenal's Premier League Title Win Take A Hit After Manchester United Loss

Arsenal suffered a 2-3 loss at Emirates Stadium at the hands of Manchester United on January 25, 2026. The defeat was a major blow to their title race, as they failed to extend their nine-point lead over Manchester City and Aston Villa. Notably, the difference was reduced to just four points after their United defeat.

Following the match, Mikel Arteta blamed individual errors for their defeat over the weekend. The Gunners were 1-0 up in the first half before Bryan Mbeumo capitalised on Martín Zubimendi’s miss‑hit back-pass to score an equaliser. In the second half, outstanding strikes from distance by Patrick Dorgu and Matheus Cunha stunned the league leaders.

Mikel Arteta explained that the first error led to the second one and the other errors, and that the team was punished because of that.

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Mikel Arteta On Arsenal's Defeat To Manchester United

Zubimendi’s mistake wasn't the only one in the game, perhaps a result of successive goalless draws in the previous Premier League games that ramped up anxiety among the Gunners.

In the post-match interview, Arteta shared, "The first error leads to the second one. There were three or four, which is very unusual today, but they are part of football, and today we got punished. In the end, we have to show the mental strength we have on matchdays."

He further added, "With the changes, we managed to shift the energy, scored the second goal, and you could feel that everything changed, and the game was there to go and win it. In the next action, Noni [Madueke] is one v one in the six-yard box. We don’t get anything out of that. It goes to a goal-kick… one pass, win the duel, and Cunha puts it in the perfect angle to lose all the momentum, all the good energy that we were building up, and to go and win the game for them."

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Arteta Doesn't Blame Supporters For Booing

Following the half-time whistle, there were boos and jeerings echoing around the Emirates Stadium. The manager refused to be critical of the supporters and shared that the team needs to do more to appease the fans.