Arteta highlights ‘two big actions’ in defeat to Newcastle as Arsenal exit Carabao Cup | OneFootball

Mikel Arteta pointed to Martin Odegaard’s missed chance which was quickly followed by Newcastle’s opening goal as the pivotal point of the Gunners’ Carabao Cup exit.

Arsenal trailed 2-0 from the first-leg heading into the second-leg clash at St James Park and spurned a golden chance to get a goal back when Martin Odegaard hit the outside of the post on 19 minutes.

And Newcastle almost immediately went up the other end and scored when Alexander Isak’s strike cannoned off the post and fell to Jacob Murphy, who finished into an empty net.

Anthony Gordon then added a second for Newcastle shortly after half-time to put the game, and the final, out of sight for Arsenal, seizing on a poor pass from David Raya to steal the ball off Declan Rice before picking out the bottom corner.

“We had so many expectations, obviously, to believe that we could turn it around,” Arteta said.

“The game started in the first action almost with them scoring and then the goal being denied, then we had two big moments with Martin, we didn’t capitalise, and the next action they scored a goal.

“The game shifted and then you need to stay cool, to score a goal as early as possible. We didn’t manage to do that in the first half even though we had another big chance.

“In the second half we started to struggle as the game went by. We didn’t generate enough situations and establish ourselves in the final third enough.

“The game started to get away with us.”

Arsenal were dealt another blow in the game with Gabriel Martinelli forced off before half-time with a hamstring injury and Arteta says he will undergo a scan to determine the severity of the problem.

“When you want to be in cup finals, when you want to win trophies, in the end, they are (fine margins),” Arteta continued.

“They’ve been really effective in the box in the last two games we played against them and we haven’t. Overall that was the main difference.”