Arsenal ‘too sure of ourselves,’ says Wenger
Arsene Wenger believes Arsenal were “too sure of ourselves” after squandering a one-goal lead to lose 2-1 to West Brom.
Olivier Giroud headed the Gunners into a lead which could have seen them top the Premier League table, but goals from James Morrison and an own goal from Mikel Arteta condemned Arsenal to a 2-1 defeat at The Hawthorns.
Francis Coquelin also suffered an injury while Santi Cazorla missed a late penalty to compound a demoralising defeat for Wenger and his charges, while Coquelin’s replacement, Arteta, also stumbled off with a knock.
“It was a very bad afternoon for us,” admitted Wenger. “We had 70% possession, scored an own goal, missed a penalty, gave away a goal on a set piece and missed open goal chances – that’s perfect to make the afternoon a nightmare.
“It was a huge goal when we scored and then you just make sure they do not come back with an easy goal.
“We were 1-0 up in the 28th minute and then 2-1 down before the 45th, so our defending on that level was very, very poor.”
Speaking to the BBC, he added: “We did give everything until the end. Maybe we were a bit too sure of ourselves.”