Mikel Arteta dug deep into his books of excuses after his goal-shy Arsenal side slumped to a 2-0 defeat in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final against Newcastle.
After Saturday’s costly draw at Brighton, where the Gunners failed to create a chance of note in the half an hour that remained after the hosts equalised, Arsenal were at least boosted by the return of Kai Havertz and Gabriel Martinelli to the starting line-up against the Magpies.
Both players missed glorious opportunities to score, however, and Arteta’s side were made to pay for their profligacy in front of goal
Arteta’s side generated 3.76 expected goals over the course of 90 minutes but failed to find the back of the net, whereas their opponents were ruthlessly efficient with the chances they created
With an attack spearheaded by long-time Arsenal transfer target Alexander Isak, Newcastle have one foot in the Wembley final after goals from the Sweden international and fellow in-form forward Anthony Gordon helped Eddie Howe’s side build a commanding advantage ahead of the return leg at St James’ Park.
Erratic finishing, meanwhile, has been a hallmark of Arsenal’s season to date but Arteta risked ridicule last night by insisting the type of ball used in the League Cup was partly responsible for his team being unable to find a way past Martin Dubravka.
‘We kicked a lot of balls over the bar,’ noted Arteta.
Gabriel Martinelli hit the post in the first half
Alexander Isak showed Arsenal what they were missing
It’s tricky. This ball flies a lot. It’s just different to the Premier League ball and we have to adapt to that. It flies different, the grip is very different as well.’
Despite their sizable lead and strong recent home record against Arsenal, Howe was urging caution ahead of the return fixture which is scheduled to take place next month
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