Wenger wants Gunners to make life harder for opponents

Arsene Wenger is under no illusions that his Arsenal side were not good enough against Crystal Palace and believes his side must make life harder for the opposition.

The 3-0 loss on Monday night was Arsenal’s fourth consecutive league defeat away from home, with the Gunners conceding three goals in each of those matches.

It leaves them in sixth place, seven points adrift of Manchester City and a Champions League qualification spot, a position that is looking increasingly out of reach.

Photo credit: Getty Images

Wenger has never finished outside of the top four in his time at Arsenal but they now travel to relegation battlers Middlesbrough on Monday night with victory vital to their qualification hopes.

And the Frenchman knows his side needs to do better, criticising the performance at Selhurst Park.

Wenger said: “I’m deeply disappointed because the performance we produced was not good enough.

“We knew we had to win the game. Not only did we not score but as well we conceded three goals, so overall it’s a very disappointing performance.

“What disappointed me most was the fact that we lost decisive duels in zones where you cannot afford it. That was very disappointing.

“Palace have beaten Chelsea two weeks ago, and they beat us, so that shows they have the quality. They are good going forward.

“But I think we made it easy for them. They didn’t need that, they have enough quality to beat any team and they have been winning for a while.”