'Big Punch to the Face'- Arsenal's Arteta Apologizes to Fans For Lackluster Loss

Mikel Arteta has offered a sincere apology to the Arsenal faithful after the Gunners suffered a damaging 2-1 home defeat to Bournemouth on Saturday. The result hands the initiative back to Manchester City in a Premier League title race that is becoming increasingly precarious for the North London side.

A damaging afternoon at the Emirates

Arsenal's title aspirations took a significant hit as they failed to capitalize on home advantage against a resilient Bournemouth side. After Junior Kroupi opening the scoring for the hosts, Viktor Gyokeres equalized from the penalty spot before Alex Scott secured all three points for the Cherries with a composed finish 15 minutes from time. The defeat leaves Arsenal nine points ahead of Manchester City, but Pep Guardiola's side hold two crucial games in hand and will host the Gunners at the Etihad next weekend.

Reflecting on the performance and the impact on the supporters, Arteta was quick to acknowledge the disappointment felt in the stands. "Apologise, take it in the chin and that's it," Arteta said when asked for his message to the fans. "What I'm trying to do is give our best to the club, give the best possibility to our players. I know that the atmosphere, the fans, and the support, the energy in the stadium is the best in the world. With that we have a much better chance. I don't think there is any other possibility to perform better than when you have that kind of support."

Maintaining perspective in the title hunt

(Getty Images Sport)

The defeat highlights

"If somebody would have said to me in August you are in this position right now in April, I'm sure we would all take it," Arteta insisted. Despite the optimistic outlook on their league position, the manager admitted his side fell short of their usual standards during the 90 minutes. "We have to respond and we had moments in the first half where we did it and there were other moments when we weren't on our level. We have to apologise them and improve," he added.

The psychological blow of defeat

The manner of the defeat was particularly bruising for a side that had been urged by their manager to show relentless fighting spirit. Arteta had famously told

"It's a big punch in the face," Arteta admitted. "That's what I said to the boys. But now it's about how we react to that because it's game on. It's going to require now a big spirit, a lot of fight, and very clear how we're going to approach. No grey areas. We're in, we're out. We need to be very, very, very strong and determined to approach it in a different way than we did today, especially when the game wasn't going our way."

Crucial week ahead for the Gunners