Arsene Wenger has refused to lay the blame at the feet of his Arsenal players after a disappointing 3-1 defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
The win for Chelsea leaves the Blues 12 points clear at the top of the Premier League table and in one fell swoop also ends the Gunners' already faint title hopes for another year.
Arsenal were poor in and out of possession for long spells but Wenger feels the attitude was not the issue.
In his post-match comments to Sky Sports, the Arsenal boss pointed towards a lack of experience as a key factor.
"We had the right attitude but we lacked a bit of experience and quality," he said.
Chelsea's Eden Hazard, second right, is congratulated by his teammate and captain Chelsea's Gary Cahill after he scored his sides second goal of the game during the English Premier League soccer match between Chelsea and Arsenal at Stamford Bridge stadium in London, Saturday, Feb. 4, 2017. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
"Maybe even as well our experienced players were not at their best individually today. But overall the team gave absolutely everything until the end."
In comparison to the reverse fixture at the Emirates at the start of the season when Arsenal beat Chelsea 3-0, injuries did have an impact.
Rather than having the guile of the absent Santi Cazorla this time at the heart of midfield, Alex Oxlade Chamberlain deputised in that position, having rarely been fielded there during an Arsenal career predominantly located on the flanks.
Meanwhile, Chelsea defender Gary Cahill was glad to avenge the previous 3-0 loss which ultimately proved to be the result which sparked Antonio Conte to switch to a successful 3-4-3 formation.
"I remember the feeling when I came off after Arsenal away. I felt like a bit of a mug after that game and football gives you the opportunity to put things right so we were determined. We knew we had that in our brain before we went out today," said Cahill.
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
