"Mistakes are part of football" - Mikel Arteta refuses to blame 28-year-old Arsenal star for error that led to Lens' equalizer in UCL fixture

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has defended goalkeeper David Raya after his costly error in the Gunners' 2-1 loss to Ligue 1 outfit Lens. The Spanish boss insists that mistakes such as this can happen in such high-pressure encounters.

The North London outfit secured no points in their UEFA Champions League fixture against Lens yesterday (4 October). Gabriel Jesus got on the scoresheet within 14 minutes and put his side in the lead.

However, Adrien Thomasson and Elye Wahi scored once each for the French side and completed the comeback victory. Raya fumbled his pass to Takehiro Tomiyasu, which was intercepted by Lens' wing-back Deiver Machado and led to the equalizer.

This would seemingly be huge in the battle for Arsenal's No.1 goalkeeper, with Arteta rotating between his shot-stoppers this season. Amid the debate, Arteta was asked whether it was disappointing to see Raya's mistake following the encounter.

The Spanish manager replied at his press conference:

"No."

He later said to TNT Sports (as quoted by Football.London):

"This happens. Mistakes are part of football and they will continue to be there but the difference was made in both boxes. Especially in the Champions League, you don’t generate 10 clear-cut chances. When you get there, you have to put the ball in the back of the net."

Raya has made three Premier League appearances and two UEFA Champions League appearances for the Gunners this season. Meanwhile, Ramsdale has featured in four league encounters but is yet to feature in Europe for Arsenal this term.

It remains to be seen whether the Spanish shot-stopper's error will affect his appearances in the starting XI.

---

"Now, he’s paid the price" - Pundit calls out Mikel Arteta for Arsenal star's injury against Lens

During Arsenal's defeat against Lens, Bukayo Saka picked up a hamstring injury and was substituted off for Fabio Vieira.

Prior to the match, the England international maintained a fantastic club record of 87 consecutive Premier League appearances for the Gunners.

Many have questioned why Arteta has deployed the England international so excessively. Some, including pundit Jason Cundy, have slammed the Spanish boss and blamed him for Saka's injury.

The former Chelsea man said on talkSPORT (as quoted by The Boot Room):

"He got injured at the weekend [against Bournemouth], he was hobbling around for longer than he should. Now, he’s [Arteta's] paid the price, they’ve got City coming up. And you think about that without Saka, a bad night for the English clubs."

Saka has been in incredible form for Arsenal this season, scoring five goals and providing as many assists in ten appearances across all competitions. The 22-year-old will surely be missed in his side's upcoming encounter against Manchester City this weekend.