Martin Odegaard believes Arsenal were better than Manchester United in the first half of Sunday’s game, but he admits things fell apart after that.
Arsenal lost 3-2 to Manchester United on Sunday, and there was certainly a lot of doom and gloom in the stadium at the final whistle.
But it’s easy to forget that things actually started pretty well for the Gunners, with a dominant opening half-hour that ultimately culminated in the team taking a 1-0 lead.
The momentum shifted as the team conceded two goals either side of half time, with United’s equaliser very much self-inflicted by Arsenal. Martin Odegaard believes the Gunners were the better team before the break, but he admits the signs of the eventual collapse were always there.
“The first half I think we were the better team, we scored a goal and had control of the game,” Odegaard began. “But we had a lot of giveaways in the game that created a few dangerous moments, and then second half I think the momentum changed a bit.
“We managed to get the 2-2 there and then could have pushed on to win it but then they scored straight away.
“So overall, yeah, not good enough from us. But as I said, time to stick together, time to work even harder and push each other even more and bounce back.”
Arsenal’s next couple of games are certainly an opportunity to get back to winning ways, with the Gunners playing against the Champions League’s bottom club Kairat Almaty before travelling away to the Premier League’s 16th-placed club Leeds United.
Elland Road is never an easy place to go, but Arsenal should take confidence from their 5-0 win over Leeds back in August. It’s a game the Gunners need to take three points from if they want to win the title.