Arsenal situation difficult and unprecedented, says Arteta

Mikel Arteta bizarrely praised fuming Arsenal supporters despite being booed off twice in their miserable 2-0 defeat by Chelsea on Sunday.

Gunners fans jeered their own team off the pitch at half-time and full-time after goals from debutant Romelu Lukaku and Reece James.

Arsenal have now suffered their worst start to a league season after two defeats without scoring.

Boss Arteta is under greater scrutiny this season, having outspent his Premier League rivals with a £130million summer splurge, and a trip to champions Manchester City is next up on Saturday.

But Arteta chose to ignore the boos, saying: ‘I must thank the fans, even when things were looking difficult they tried to give the players a boost.

‘I see a lot of positives with the crowd and the team today.

‘At the end I didn’t see any bad reaction with any of the players. But that is my opinion.

‘Feeling sorry for yourself does not help.

‘You have to face the challenge, face the criticism – because it will come.’

Daily Mail Online