Every word Mikel Arteta said on Liverpool, Merino red card, Rice injury and top-five race

Mikel Arteta was not exactly happy to claim a point at a partying Anfield where two minutes of madness and one later in the second half nearly proved very costly. However, his side showed resilience to come back after going two goals down.

Gabriel Martinelli and then Mikel Merino found the goals to help overcome the chaos of the first half. However, there was bad news with the red that Merino suffered and Leandro Trossard also succumbing to a hamstring injury.

The point gives Arsenal a big boost in their hopes of Champions League qualification as they will now host Newcastle United who they can prevent from overtaking them. But it would be fair to say Arteta, despite watching the fight back, was still not happy.

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Here is every word from Arteta’s press conference:

What was it you thought was unacceptable?

A lot of parts, especially the defending standards that we had and the areas that after we gave the ball away, which is totally prohibited against this team, so very far off it, really upset. Yeah, we had a reaction, I hate reaction, I like action and especially we want to be there winning trophies. You want to be a moment that you win it or you don't and when you don't have to, you have to play another one that you have been working for nine months and that's here today. And if you cannot win it, you have to be the best of the rest. And I was really, really upset.

Does that make up for it, the reaction?

I think it makes it worse because you miss half of the team again and we've done it for nine months. And you're going to still, after two nil at Anfield, any other team will do what we play the way that we play. Come back, maybe should have won it and at the end maybe lose it again for something that was in our hands for sure and having to play for the sixth time in the season with ten men. So you want to really win it, the consistency level for 95 minutes and I don't like to talk about the players that are not here and the excuses. Disappointed.

And the sending off?

I haven't seen it on TV to be fair. I know that Mikel goes to the ball and he gets a little bit pushed and after he reacts it looks like he touches him and he made the decision so that's it.

I know you don't want to talk about the players who aren't here but you are running out of players at the end of the day.

I know but if that happens after 70, 80, 90 minutes, I understand. The first 25 minutes and certain things that we haven't done, ball goes out of play, we don't react, that's after one minute, five, ten and 95. Especially if you want to win at Anfield because you know in one moment you lose the ball or you lose the game. That's it, done.

Is that a psychological thing because they know on Wednesday they're not on the championship?

Psychologically what could happen is maybe it doesn't happen and after 60, 70, 80, 90 minutes we die because we have players on that pitch today that shouldn't be on that pitch. I would understand it more but when I see that reaction and it's there, when you need a certain amount of fire, that's on me. That's my responsibility and what I saw in the first 25 minutes, 30 minutes, some of the actions… [exhales hard].

Are Rice and Timber okay?

No, we brought him to see if today he was better but he was very clear that he's not fit to play.

On that reaction, how did you get that reaction? Was it you had to shout at him the whole time? How did you get the change?

Whatever happens in the dressing room, it’s going to stay there. It couldn't be much worse. It could be because this is football or they could be more effective but thankfully we did in the second half what we are capable of doing. Understanding as well a lot of the things that are against us at the moment.

On that change you did make with Martinelli going through the middle, how important do you think that was and how impressed were you with him playing in that sort of situation?

Especially when they have such a high line and they are so aggressive with that and what Ben did as well because Ben is in a stage where he is and the way he tried today and he grew throughout the game was very, very impressive.

Just on that comeback in the second half, did you want to send a message to other football today to remind them that you'll be there fighting next season?

No, I think the message is to ourselves. I think it has to be about us, the things that we can control. We can never control what they are able to do or what they can't do. That's it. They want it. I think they fully deserve to win it. They've been so consistent and that's it. We're going to have to be better, smarter, be with the right availability. For sure don't play six times in a season with ten men because if that happens we won't win it next season for sure. And learn, a lot of learning.

Can I just ask, how much encouragement will you take though? When they're just seconds you're still 15 points behind in the league table but you didn't look like that today.

Yeah, when I look back two times the game at home and probably we should have won it. Probably, I think we should have won it. And today we should have lost it and it could have been three or four. In the first 25 minutes they missed another two big chances as well. So it's about the consistency and the level, at the highest level we can compete against any team in the world. And we have shown that now for the last two, three seasons, I think against the top six, I think we haven't lost a single game. So that tells you, as a team we are very, very consistent. We can compete with anybody. But actually to win it and win, win, win, win, win, we're going to need something else apart from availability as well. Certain demands and make sure that we don't talk about reaction because I hate that word.