Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is taking little consolation from the fact that his team's Europa League exit allows them to focus on the Premier League.
The Gunners were eliminated in the round of 16 by Sporting Lisbon after a painful penalty shoot-out. Arteta's team drew 2-2 in Portugal and 1-1 on home soil, with Pedro Goncalves equalising with a long-range stunner, and Gabriel Martinelli was the unfortunate player to fail from the penalty spot.
With no more European distractions, Arsenal will be able to focus all their attentions on protecting their five-point lead at the top of the Premier League. Their manager isn't taking it as a positive, though, at least not yet.
After the elimination, Arteta was asked whether he saw the result as a blessing in disguise. "I cannot see it that way today" was his reply.
“I don’t know, if you go through the competition and win it, it’s magnificent, if it’s not, then it affects your plans in the league, that’s a different story," the Spaniard continued. “We wanted to go through and we put everything into it.
“The effort the boys put when it wasn’t our best day, individually and collectively, the hunger and the desire they showed to win, the way they were tracking back was incredible. They really wanted it and today it didn’t happen."
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Arsenal have little time to lick their wounds, with the league leaders back in action on Sunday. With challengers Manchester City in FA Cup action, the Gunners can move eight points clear by beating managerless Crystal Palace, who sacked boss Patrick Vieira on Friday.
“We need to put our heads up, look towards Crystal Palace, it’s 11 games left, the first one starts on Sunday," Arteta continued.
"We gave everything [against Sporting]. It wasn’t our day, we weren’t at our best individually and collectively.
“But they absolutely gave every drop of effort that they could on that pitch, but it wasn’t enough. But if we do things better on Sunday than what we’ve done today, we’ll have a big chance to win the game.”
The match at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday gives Arsenal a chance to complete a first Premier League double over Palace since Arsene Wenger was in the dugout. Arteta's team won at Selhurst Park on the opening day of the season, with Gabriel Martinelli opening the scoring and Marc Guehi scoring an own goal.
Palace travel to north London in worrying form, with Vieira paying the price after failing to earn a single league victory in 2023. The Eagles have taken just five points from their last 11 games, and go into the derby off the back of three successive 1-0 defeats.
