Mikel Arteta makes Anfield claim and responds to Arsenal accusation after Liverpool loss

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Mikel Arteta looks dejected during Arsenal's loss to Liverpool at Anfield(Image: Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

Mikel Arteta believes the Anfield factor and a “magic moment” sent his Arsenal team tumbling to defeat against Liverpool.

But the Gunners boss has defended the approach that saw the Reds frustrated for large parts of a tense encounter.

Dominik Szoboszlai struck the only goal with a blistering 30-yard free-kick in the 83rd minute to continue a 100% start to the season for Arne Slot’s Premier League champions on Sunday afternoon.

Arsenal had been the better team in a turgid first half but were gradually penned back by Liverpool during the closing quarter.

READ MORE:What happened in second half spoke volumes about Liverpool and Mikel Arteta's ambitionREAD MORE:Arne Slot gives Ibrahima Konate and Florian Wirtz injury update and Marc Guehi Liverpool transfer hint

And Arteta had a simple reason for why the momentum of the game shifted towards the home team after half-time.

“Because this is Anfield and at some point it's going to change,” he said.

“You cannot dominate Anfield for 95 minutes, and it changed in various ways, especially because we made the right decision when our keeper got the ball in their hands.

“We started to rush it, the turnovers we didn't manage them so well, so we could never glide as a team, and they were able to create those moments without really creating any situations of danger.”

Arsenal, with Bukayo Saka injured and Martin Odegaard fit enough only for the bench, employed a cautious approach that relied heavily on defensive resolve and threat from set-pieces.

But Arteta said: “We didn't do our gameplan to frustrate them, we did it to win it.

"I think we elevated the game and the dominance to a point that they have to raise it.

They (Liverpool) did, especially from the 60-78 minutes, when then you could see that there were no margins in the game and then when that happens the game is going to be decided in one of two ways.

“One, with an individual error and two, with a magic moment.

Liverpool remain interested in a deal for the Swede.

Meanwhile, Marc Guehi has been a player of interest all summer and Liverpool could still launch a last-minute deal for the Crystal Palace defender.

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Asked if his midfield was too conservative, Arteta said: “Well, that's what we had.

After the game, I think it's too easy to say that (it was too conservative).”

The Gunners lost William Saliba to injury during the opening moments which gave summer signing Cristhian Mosquera his debut.

And Arteta explained: “William twisted his ankle during the warm-up, and he came in and he said he believed that he could carry on and play but he strayed away in the first two actions.

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“I could see that he couldn't cope and we had to get him out, unfortunately.