"It was painful defeat...": Mikel Arteta on Arsenal's 2-1 loss against Fulham

London [UK], December 31 (ANI): Following Arsenal's disappointing 2-1 loss against Fulham in the Premier League (PL) at Craven Cottage in London on Sunday, the Gunners' head coach, Mikel Arteta said that it was a painful defeat.
While speaking at the post-match press conference, Arteta pointed out that three days ago Arsenal failed to win a game where they played well. However, he accepted that they displayed a sloppy performance against Fulham.
"It was a painful defeat and a really sad day. Three days ago, we lost a game that we totally deserved to win, but today feels really different. We weren't anywhere near the level and we didn't deserve to win the game," Arteta was quoted by Arsenal's official website as saying.
The head coach added that in PL, a club always has to give their best until the final whistle is blown.
"In this league, you have to play at a really high level for 100 minutes and we haven't done that today. I don't like to find excuses, especially when we lose. We could have played much better than we have done, and we haven't done it and that's the reason we lost the game," he added.
Arteta added that they could have led the PL points table if they clinched a win on Sunday.
"Today we had a chance to be at the top of the league after 20 games, and that tells you the consistency and quality that we have shown in the first half of the season. But the reality is that today we are in pain because we have lost a game playing in a way we don't want to," he concluded.
Recapping the match, Arsenal's Bukayo Saka made the first breakthrough of the game in the early minutes of the game. Martinellu cut inside from the right to Fulham's box and placed a shot; however, it was saved by the opponents' goalkeeper, Leno. But Saka attempted a shot from the rebound ball and got the back of the net in the fifth minute of the game.
However, the home side did not take much time to make the score 1-1. In the 29th minute, Fulham levelled the scoreline with Jimenez's low shot, which went past Raya. Following the goal, the Mexican striker bagged his fourth goal of the season.
In the 59th minute, Fulham took the lead after Bobby Reid put the ball inside the box following Willian's corner.
The score stayed 2-1 till the final whistle of the game, which helped Fulham clinch a home win against Arsenal on Sunday. (ANI)