Arsenal midfielder Andrey Arshavin opted not to hide behind excuses as he was honest enough to admit that the Gunners simply didn’t play well on Saturday against West Bromwich Albion.

Speaking to his official website, the Russian explained how Arsenal gave away possession too easily as he added how credit should be given to Roberto di Matteo’s men for playing a very good game and taking full advantage of the Gunners’ bad day at the office. Arshavin was of course not happy with the result and the wasted opportunity to cut the gap at the top.

Chelsea first and Manchester United then both dropped points last weekend but with Arsene Wenger’s squad losing by three goals to two at the Emirates, a golden opportunity to go just one point from their London rivals was wasted.

When asked about upcoming away games against Partizan in the Champions League and Chelsea in the English Premier League, Arshavin said how they have to take it match-by-match, focusing on the Serbian side and only think about Stamford Bridge after the Champions League game is over.

After West Brom, the 29-year old said:

Firstly, we didn’t play well today. Secondly, it won’t do for us.

We were losing the ball; some things didn’t turn out as planned. West Bromwich, on the contrary, had a very good game, they were playing well. They managed to use our mistakes. It wasn’t our day. Hence the score on the scoreboard. I have nothing more to say about the game.

We had an opportunity to get closer to Chelsea and away from the other clubs. Unfortunately, we didn’t use this chance. We should try to reduce this gap in the next round.

It is too early to think about Chelsea. At first, we have to focus on the league. We have successfully started this tournament. So now we need to strengthen our position. We must prepare for the match against Chelsea only after the game against the Serbs.