It is not an easy moment for Arsenal and all the promises about bouncing back from last Saturday’s defeat against Tottenham were not kept as they suffered a surprising 2-0 defeat in the Champions League against Braga.

Speaking after the match, manager Arsene Wenger believes his players were not sharp enough to create goal opportunities adding how last night’s defeat has nothing to do with the North London fiasco.

Arsenal’s hopes of qualifying for the knockout stage of the competition have now suffered a blow as one point in their last game against Partizan could not be enough to progress.

On Carlos Vela’s penalty claim, the Frenchman said how it is not easy to understand why the Mexican was booked for diving when it is clear he was fouled in the penalty area. Wenger added how having five referees is not the way forward for UEFA with the manager labeling the referee’s decision as a “complete mystery”.

After the Braga defeat, Wenger said:

We were not sharp enough to create clear-cut chances. Saturday’s result had no knock-on effect because I had seven players who did not play and I had to rest some players. I think we had enough on the pitch to make a goal.

We could play ten matches like that and win eight or nine times but tonight was the one we didn’t [win].

It is difficult to understand how we did not get a penalty. The five referees is not an answer to the problem. The turning point was the penalty – I still cannot understand how Carlos Vela got a yellow card. It remains a complete mystery.