Premier League News: Mikel Arteta Claims Liverpool Is ‘Superior’ After 3-1 Loss

Mikel Arteta was straightforward in his assessment of his team after they lost 3-1 against Liverpool in their recent Premier League matchup. The 38-year-old manager shared that his club is not yet at the level of Jurgen Klopp’s squad.

"We were in the game for a big part of the game,” Arteta said in his post-match press conference.

Despite this, an all-around effort from Liverpool was too much for Arteta’s lineup as the Reds were able to take control of the pace of the match. Klopp had several players who stepped up for him, including the trio of Sadio Mane, Andrew Robertson and Diogo Jota scoring for the Anfield-based club.

“The reality is they are superior to us in many aspects. You could see that in some phases,” Arteta added.

There is still plenty of room for improvement for Arsenal, but Arteta believes that they are already on their way to success.

“I am really happy in the way the team competed and kept believing. This is the standard we have to reach. We are on a different journey. They have been together five years; we have had a few months,” Arteta shared.

The match started well for Arsenal as Alexandre Lacazette was able to capitalize on Robertson's error. The Liverpool defender failed to clear a cross into the box, and it gave Arsenal the perfect opportunity to score the opening goal in the 25th minute. But three minutes later, Liverpool bounced back immediately with Mane netting a goal.

“They scored too early [after Arsenal’s goal], big mistake from us. I had a feeling we were going to have chances in the second half,” Arteta said.

The defending Premier League champion didn’t look back and sealed the deal with a comfortable 3-1 win.

“We had probably the best chance of the game. You have to put them in the net when you have chances against them,” Arteta continued.

This loss puts into perspective how Arsenal compares to elite Premier League teams such as Liverpool.

“We have a long way to go in many things,” Arteta added.

Looking back at the game, Hector Bellerin agreed with his coach’s views after the match.

“When you come to Liverpool away you have to score your chances and not commit the mistakes we made,” Bellerin said.

Arsenal will face the Reds again on Oct. 2 for the Carabao Cup Round of 16.