Arsenal star Mikel Merino says the Gunners take a lot of positives from their 1-0 defeat against Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday, Softfootball reports.
The Spanish midfielder was involved from the start against the Reds but could not help Mikel Arteta’s side as a fantastic freekick by Dominik Szoboszlai decided the game. It was the first defeat for Arsenal season this, leaving Liverpool as the only side with three straight victories in the premier league this season.
Speaking to Arsenal’s official club media, Merino was happy with what he saw from his teammates and praised new signing Cristhian Mosquera, who replaced the injured William Saliba and performed very well.
He revealed:
“We’re very disappointed today. Obviously we wanted to win the three points here in a very tough stadium against a really good opponent. I think the team showed courage and character throughout the game, but in a set piece, in a magic moment, they scored and they got the three points.
“I think there are lots of positives from today as well to look into the future. We know this league is a long one, so it’s not going to be decided in the first five fixtures, so we’re looking forward.
“Today we saw some new guys coming on the pitch under difficult circumstances, for example, Mosquera after the injury. They managed to come in these circumstances and do it as well as they could have done.
“The whole team performed in a really good way, in a difficult stadium, with a lot of character. So disappointed for the loss, but lots of positives.
“We’re going to look back and see how dominant we were on a difficult pitch, how proud we have to be today, even though we lost. We have finished the first two or three games in good shape. I see the team going forward in the best way possible.
“Unfortunately, this is how football is nowadays, you have no rest. You finish your first three fixtures and then you have to go with the national team.
“Now it’s time to think about the national team, but already a piece of you is thinking about the future when you come back and you can still develop relationships with your teammates and start to gel. I’m very excited for the future.”
Arsenal are currently third on the 2025/26 premier league table with six points and will play Nottingham Forest on September 14 after the international break.
