Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard made the stark admission that Manchester City were just too good for them in Wednesday's Premier League summit meeting.
City ran out 3-1 winners at the Emirates Stadium to leapfrog the Gunners and move to the top of the table on goal difference, with the reigning champions now seen by many as the overwhelming favourites to win what would be a fifth title in six seasons.
Pep Guardiola's side took the lead in north London when Kevin De Bruyne pounced on a poor backpass from Takehiro Tomiyasu and lofted the ball over a stranded Aaron Ramsdale.
Arsenal deservedly drew level before the break though, with Bukayo Saka slotting home from the spot after Ederson had upended Eddie Nketiah in the penalty area.
City would come out in the second half a different animal though, and after seeing a penalty award overturned by VAR following an offside against Erling Haaland, they took the lead when Jack Grealish fired in via a deflection off Tomiyasu.
Haaland would wrap up the win with a low shot, scoring his 26th Premier League goal of the season, tying with the best league tally City legend Sergio Aguero ever got for the club.
Odegaard pulled no punches after the match, and simply said City deserved their win.
"The game is decided in the boxes and we were not sharp enough, in front of the goal and in our own as well. They were better," he told Amazon Prime Video.
"Apart from that, we played a good game, did many good things and had many good periods, but we have to be better in the boxes.
"It is football. Sometimes chances go in, sometimes not. But that is where we need to improve and be more clinical and defend our box. That is not just about one player, but the whole team.
"As we have said all season, work hard and take it game by game. It is the same now. It is one game we have lost here today and now we look to the next one. A new game on Saturday and we must come back and win.
"It was an unbelievable atmosphere and we are so grateful to everyone who came here today and made the game special. We will work hard to give them something to make them happy about."
Gunners boss Mikel Arteta insisted he was pleased with his side's efforts though, and said they won't give up on their title quest.
"I have more belief than I had before the game, with the performance and the level the team put in against City," he told BBC Match of the Day.
"They wanted to play a different game than the one we played and with the crowd we have we can do it.
"They still have it [the belief], I can sense it. They feel they can do it.
"The difference was in the boxes, they had three chances and they put them away. We had chances and we didn't put them away."
