We’ll Take the Point

The hosts took the lead in the second half after Petr’s former teammate from Chelsea, Mata, scored in the 69th minute. Petr had already averted one of Mata’s challenges in the first half. Yet, Arsenal were able to equalise – in the 89th minute substituting Giroud scored from the guest's sole shot on goal.

“We should just accept the result for what it is. We gave a weak performance, things weren’t really working out,” Petr admitted. “We failed to pose any kind of significant threat particularly in the offence and didn’t create scoring opportunities. I guess it’s all the more impressive we didn’t succumb, given those circumstances. We managed to keep our heads up and score a goal,” said Petr.

“When the hosts took the lead, it gave them a massive morale boost and so it was crucial for us to prevent further damage. We livened up our game by substituting a bit and it is due to that that we managed to equalise,” Petr commented Arsenal’s strategy.

“As I’ve said several times before, these matches which follow directly after national team breaks are tricky. A lot of our players were away but then again United were in the same situation – so that’s no excuse. Our performance simply wasn’t optimal, which is why we should just take the point and be happy about having remained on our no-loss streak,” added Petr.

Meanwhile at the top of the table, Liverpool also lost points as a result of a draw, however Manchester City cashed out a full three. “One point is better than nothing, it’s still all pretty even. We’re entering a busy phase now – there’s going to be pretty much two games a week until the end of January and so there’s basically no time off. The games follow in a quick sequence and it’ll all depend on how we and our opponents deal with that."