We will be disappointed but after the first 3 games we'd have taken europa league.

Another massively over hit cross with 4-5 players in the box. this one from Pépé after an earlier one from Martinelli

Exactly that.

No control and no creativity from mf. Ødegaard Xhaka and Elneny over run and absent. Saka peripheral.

Yes, complete frustration at a poor ref, equally completely frustrated at our tired, poor and weak performance.

Hey ho. Went for broke. And we got broke.

That might seem like a good chance for Ødegaard but there was no chance he was getting it through all those bodies. We must be top of the league for blocked shots

Trying to protect myself really. Sneakily I think a much larger squad and Europa will allow players like Lokonga who hasn’t really worked to develop further.

Just too much for a young, inexperienced and thin squad.

I still think we’ve done well to get where we are.

I mean, look at Man. Utd.

Europa league, here we come

Weak from Ødegaard to just let his man turn and get goal side with so much space. That sort of 'tackle' I've seen from him 5-6 times today

We're still in this - Just need 3 goals in 5 minutes

You haven't been simply complaining the ref is poor Rich, you've been suggesting that he's biased against us. Frankly it is delusional.

Spurs just need a draw now at Norwich right?

Europa it is then.

It’s not. He’s been a homer. Not outrageous but a homer none the less.

Yep, but at the end of season inquest just look who will take the biggest stick from the media. Arsenal who no one put in their top 4 and most had down in 7/8th - or Man U that everyone had in their top 4 and we're expected to make a title challenge

The optimism is admirable.

Newcastle look like the side with it all to play for.

Our players are mental midgets the lot of them.

As someone said on twitter, if you are going to go out of CL contention at least do it with a bang not a whimper.

Ødegaard, Xhaka and Elneny has to be one of the slowest weakest central midfields in Arsenal's history. Completely outfought and outmuscled today, ironically by a player labelled a flop (Joe Linton) and a player we were linked with Guimaraes.

I’ll have 3 of what you’re having please.

Lacazette will provide them

The thing is it's not a surprise. I had a feeling we'd lose and I wasn't the only one.

All said and done - not good enough.

No excuses. Need better players.

It’s not all bad news. We’ve got 6 minutes to equalise.

I'm not buying that narrative Ash. Anyway, it's all academic now.

2minutes a goal. Easy.

Exactly. I don't think refs go in to games thinking I don;t want Arsenal to win this and i'll do everything in my power to make sure they don't. But I think you'd have to be very naive to believe refs aren't influenced by certain crowds and certain atmospheres and that certain players and teams are given greater leniency and are reffed different. It has quite literally been admitted by ex refs that it happens

I mean he has I don’t care what you’re buying.

Grow up mate.

We've had 2 shots on goal all night.

Ok. Stop calling people delusional

That's true of course. The thing that is so devastating is that in the final stretch, with top 4 in our hands, we lost against Crystal Palace, Brighton, Southampton and Newcastle. That is a very tough pill to swallow, especially losing like this to such a loathsome club, sponsored by a state where human rights don't matter.

Overall though, the target for me going into the season was getting back into Europe, and we've done that. I think we've taken a big step forward, not just in terms of league position, but with the way we play. We've seen an identity forming, with a team that's fighting for each other and the manager. We know how we want to play, we just don't have the experience and depth to execute it with consistency yet. Big summer coming up, because 2-3 players of the right quality and I can really see this team taking off.

Not good enough today and last thursday. But 5th is better than we expected and anyone expected at the start of the season. it feels like failure because we have been so close to 4th

The starting defence and midfield is ok, add strikers and depth and we're hugely stronger.

We're comparing a U23 team with no striker against Spurs with 3 of the deadliest strikers in europe. We ran them all the way

Yeh, but United have had their worst season in PL history and Spurs relying totally on the front three.

It was the Palace, Brighton and Southampton trilogy that did for us. Even 4 points out of that would have been huge.

Guarantee without major investment we won't make top four next season. This was our big chance, especially without european football. Newcastle might even be in the race next year.

Sorry, I didn't realise that offering an alternative to your opinion wasn't allowed.

St James park is not the place you want to get when you are desperate for a win.

Yep. We know we have deficiencies but this match confirms it. The ref has gius nothing but you havecto accept that and deal with it. The top teams keep the ref onside.

On target you mean. And how many have they had?

People already making excuses but that's a pathetic effort in a game of this magnitude.

Totally outfought and outplayed.

Pépé falls over himself and asks for a foul. What a joke.