Mikel Arteta has called for his players to tighten up defensively after Arsenal's 2-2 draw away at Sporting CP in the Europa League on Thursday evening. The Gunners took the lead in the tie through William Saliba, but Goncalo Inacio drew the home side level from a corner.
Paulinho then gave his side the lead after sweeping home a finish from a Matt Turner save before the advantage was nullified from a Hidemasa Morita own-goal. It marks yet another game without a clean sheet for the north London outfit, having only kept five since the turn of the year across all competitions.
“The game had different phases because we gave too many simple balls away in our own half and gave them the capacity to [exploit] transition moments, which they are good at," Arteta told reporters after the clash. “In other moments, we had total control of the game and we lost a little bit of threat today, especially with the four players we are missing in our frontline.
