Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta expressed satisfaction with his team’s Carabao Cup quarter-final win over Crystal Palace but insisted the victory margin should have been larger.
After a tight 1-0 Premier League win over Palace in October, Arsenal faced a tough challenge from a well-organized Palace side that creates few chances but can be dangerous with minimal opportunities.
Arsenal started strong but saw their momentum slow, conceding a late equalizer from Marc Guehi. The match was ultimately decided by a penalty shootout, where Arsenal scored eight penalties to reach the semi-finals for the second year in a row, setting up a clash with London rivals Chelsea.
Arteta said, “I’m very happy. We’re in the semi-final, it’s where we wanted to be. I’m really happy considering the amount of changes that we’ve made, the cohesion and the energy and the quality that the team showed against a team that is very, very well organised and concedes very few chances.”
He added, “We generated a lot, and the margin should have been much bigger after 94 minutes. It wasn’t, and when that happens the [other] teams have the quality to hurt you in any set-piece, and we conceded the goal. That was emotionally tough to accept after the way the game went.”
Arteta praised the team’s composure in the shootout and highlighted goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga’s crucial save. “I think today the margin should have been much bigger, it should have been three or four and then you’re not worried about what happens in the last minutes.”
He noted the threat Palace poses with quick attacks and stressed the importance of attention to detail in winning trophies. “I wanted to keep everybody on their toes and alive and understand the importance of the game. And the margins are very small when you want to win trophies until we have to pay attention to every detail to achieve that.”
Arteta concluded by emphasizing the need to keep creating chances and maintaining defensive solidity. “What we have to do is continue to generate the chances that we do and concede nothing. I think we conceded only one shot again. And do that and trust the players. They showed great composure and quality in the penalty shootout. We had some very big open chances today to score goals and we didn’t. So trust them, keep training and try to keep improving.”
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