Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta has blamed the long grass for the goalless draw at Burnley.
Jay Rodriguez should have won it for the Clarets with a 72nd-minute drive that ricocheted off the underside of the bar and bounced on the goal-line before being hacked to safety.
And Arsenal could count themselves fortunate to escape with a point as they left Turf Moor still searching for their first Premier League win since New Year’s Day.
Here’s what Arteta had to say: “The conditions were difficult – the grass was this long and they didn’t put any water on it, and that’s not a very helpful thing to play football.
“They (Burnley) do what they do really well, and you are allowed to do it so we have to react to that.”
Arsenal had made a good start but early misses from the recalled Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang would ultimately cost them dear.
Burnley seized control and came closer through James Tarkowski and Jeff Hendrick, while Rodriguez was also guilty of spurning a good opportunity prior to his late near-miss.
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Arteta knows they face some big challenges ahead if they are to turn around their fortunes in the mid-season break.
This article was most recently revised and updated 3 years ago
