A “jaded” Arsenal has slumped to its first Uefa Champions League home defeat since 2009 after Schalke scored two late goals to win 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday.
The Gunners pressed for a goal in the first half but couldn’t break through, before Klaas-Jan Huntelaar scored his third goal of the competition on 76 minutes, with Ibrahim Afellay rounded out the win on 86 minutes.
Arsenal assistant manager Steve Bould was at a loss to explain his side’s performance, which admitted was well below their best but came off the back of their ordinary weekend loss to Norwich City.
“We looked jaded, I don’t know why that is. Since the international break we haven’t looked ourselves,” Bould said.
“It’s not what we want, it’s not what we’re accustomed to. We’re used to creating lots of chances. Maybe we’ve lost momentum. We’ve gone behind in our last five games, so scoring first in the next game is important.”
Bould added: “We haven’t played anything like I know we can. We lack a bit of confidence. But it’s a tough competition and they’re a good side – they beat Dortmund at the weekend.”