Arsenal, in the 35th week of the Premier League, initially took the lead with a goal from Declan Rice but conceded goals from Dominic Solanke and Antoine Semenyo, losing 2-1. This leaves them three points ahead of third-placed Manchester City.

Arsenal needed a win in tonight’s match as Mikel Arteta’s squad prepares for the Champions League semi-final second leg against Paris Saint-Germain, where they must overturn a 1-0 deficit from the first leg.

Odegaard told Sky Sports after the 2-1 defeat:“It was really disappointing. We started well, scored, and thought we had control, but they scored, and we lost focus.

After their goal, we couldn’t find our rhythm. Our play became disorganized. The second half was unacceptable. We have to move on because we have a big game ahead. We must prepare for it and analyze this defeat.”

The most notable statement from Arsenal’s Norwegian captain was his determination to bounce back in the Champions League:“We have a very important game against Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday, but we must use today’s bitter experience to defeat them.

We fight to compete in all tournaments. Our goal was to perform well today and win, but that didn’t happen. Now, we must focus entirely on the Champions League.”