Aaron Ramsdale says Arsenal will reflect on this season with pride once the overwhelming feeling of disappointment has subsided.
The Gunners were beaten 1-0 by Nottingham Forest on Saturday evening, meaning Manchester City have been crowned Premier League champions. City will lift the trophy after their home game against Chelsea on Sunday at the Etihad Stadium.
Arsenal were top for the majority of the season but have taken just nine points from their past eight matches, while City have steamrollered their way to 11 straight wins. Ramsdale has been a key player for Mikel Arteta’s side, who are now guaranteed to finish second, and he gave an insight into the reaction following the defeat at the City Ground.
“It’s hard. All the hard work over months has obviously come to an end today and that’s really difficult,” he told Sky Sports. “We just couldn’t find a way through today. Credit to Forest – they know what they needed to do.
“They got their goal and defended really well. We just struggled to break that down. It’s a disappointing day, a disappointing end.”
He added: “We know that [we’ve pushed City hard]. Deep down we know what we’ve achieved. I think when the dust settles we will be proud.
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“But it’s just the way it’s happened, it’s a similar taste to last year as well, so it’s another learning curve for us. But, yeah, when we look back it will be a season to be proud of for Arsenal Football Club and a season to be proud of as players.”
Piers Morgan has been among those to accuse Arsenal of bottling the title, which would have been their first since the Invincibles in 2003/04. But Ramsdale has rejected such a characterisation of their campaign.
Asked by the Guardian if such talk annoyed him and the other players, he said: “It does when it comes from certain people who don’t necessarily have the knowledge or the experience. I also think it’s very hard to say that with a team [City] who have won it in five of the last six years, gone on an 11-game winning streak and will potentially win the treble. So we have to be realistic as well.
“This narrative of ‘bottled it’, I think it is an easy way out. It’s just quick, cheap narrative from certain people who have not actually gone digging into stories of what we’ve achieved.
"Some people are saying it and forgetting that other teams have had the same experience as us. We let them worry about that, let them get views and people listening to them. We are disappointed but extremely proud of ourselves as well.”
Arsenal will conclude their season at home to Wolves on Sunday, while City will continue in their attempts to win the Treble. Pep Guardiola’s side face Manchester United in the FA Cup final on June 3 before playing Inter Milan in the Champions League final a week later.
