Odegaard Admits Arsenal ‘Not Good Enough’ After United Defeat

Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard admitted his side ‘weren’t good enough’ after Manchester United inflicted a rare home defeat on the Premier League leaders at the Emirates Stadium.

United’s 3-2 victory was their first away win against Arsenal in the league since December 2017 and made them the first visiting side to beat the Gunners at the Emirates this season.

It also marked the first time Arsenal had conceded three goals in a Premier League match since December 2023, ending a run of 83 games without doing so.

Reflecting on the performance, Odegaard was candid in his assessment.

‘It wasn’t good enough from us. It is hard to tell exactly now what happened, we need some time to analyse it. The performance wasn’t good enough and we should have done better. Now it is time to stick together more and to keep working and bounce back,’ he said post-match.

Arsenal had taken the lead in the first half and looked in control, but United turned the game around after the break.

‘The first half we were the better team, scored a goal and controlled the game but in the second half the momentum changed. We managed to get to 2-2 but they scored straight away,’ Odegaard explained.

He pointed to costly errors and lost battles as decisive factors.

‘In the first half especially we had some giveaways that gave them some dangerous counters. In the second half there was a lot of duels that they won. We couldn’t get into that rhythm of creating chances and attack. There are a lot of factors in the game but those are a few of them.’

Despite the setback, Odegaard urged his teammates to remain focused on the bigger picture.

‘It was never going to be easy. We know every game in this league is a big challenge. Now it is time to work harder than ever. We are still top of the league so we have to keep going and bounce back straight away’