Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta couldn't hide his disappointment after watching his side lose 2-0 to Newcastle, which saw the Gunners surrender the advantage to north London rivals Tottenham in the race for a top-four finish.
The Magpies were by far the better team throughout the game at St James' Park and took home a deserved three points thanks to a Ben White own goal and Bruno Guimaraes' strike.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, Arteta admitted his side had been "extremely poor," with the Spaniard seemingly at a loss for why his side's performance was so laboured in a game of such importance.
"Newcastle deserved to win the match and were much better than us. We had nothing in the game," Arteta conceded.
"They were much better in every department and we were poor with the ball. A lot of things happened during the game, like substitutions for injuries, but it's not an excuse because they were much better than us.
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"It's true that we could not cope with the game that we had to play here. We tried to change some things but it didn't make it better. We had moments where we looked better but then the execution was so poor and the goals we gave away were extremely poor.
"It's extremely disappointing that Newcastle were 10 times better than us and the performance was nowhere near the level we need to be at if we want to play in the Champions League.
"I am incredibly disappointed. It's a very painful one. It was in our hands and today it's not in our hands. We have to beat Everton and wait for Norwich to beat Spurs. There's always a tiny chance in football."
Arsenal must now hope for a slip-up from Antonio Conte's Tottenham on the final day of the season, who face already relegated Norwich. Everton are the visitors to the Emirates Stadium, meanwhile, with Frank Lampard's side potentially playing for their Premier League future should they fail to beat Crystal Palace on Thursday.
Source : 90min