Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola has admitted that his side’s slow start cost them after their 1-0 defeat to Arsenal at Anfield on Sunday.
The Reds made a promising start and dominated the opening exchanges against Mikel Arteta’s side.
However, Arsenal punished them in the 16th minute when Kai Havertz finished off an impressive team move to give the visitors the lead.
Liverpool tried to fight their way back into the contest but struggled to find an equaliser.
Arsenal defended resolutely to protect their advantage and leave Anfield with all three points.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live after the match, Iraola expressed disappointment with the result but praised his players for their response after conceding.
“Disappointing for us. We definitely deserved to score but weren’t able,” he said.
The Liverpool manager admitted that he was unhappy with how his team approached the opening 15 minutes.
“We regret the first 15 minutes until we conceded the goal but I loved after. We changed a little bit by being more brave and aggressive and we put them under pressure,” Iraola added.
He also felt Liverpool created enough opportunities to get something from the match but failed to take advantage of them.
“We had some chances that we haven’t finished properly. Also, they have been good defensively,” he said.
The defeat represents an important setback for Liverpool as they look to maintain their challenge near the top of the Premier League table.
Arsenal, meanwhile, will take confidence from securing a valuable away victory against one of their main rivals.
Havertz’s first-half goal proved decisive, while Arteta’s players showed defensive discipline to withstand Liverpool’s attempts to get back into the game.
Iraola will now expect his team to learn from the disappointing result and improve their finishing ahead of their next Premier League fixture.
