Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta began the day still hopeful that his side could yet wrestle the English Premier League title away from Manchester City, but ended it apologising to the club's fans.
A 3-0 home drubbing at the hands of an excellent Brighton & Hove Albion, shortly after City dispatched Everton by the same score, has all but extinguished Arsenal's dream.
The result felt hugely anti-climactic, with thousands of Arsenal fans already headed for home with Brighton 2-0 ahead, thanks to second-half goals by Julio Enciso and Deniz Undav.
When Pervis Estupinan made it 3-0 in stoppage time in front of a rapidly emptying stadium, it all felt rather embarrassing for Arsenal, who led the table for large swathes of the season, but have buckled over the last six weeks.
"A week ago, I was standing here feeling proud and today, we have to apologise for the performance in the second half," Spaniard Arteta told Sky Sports."It was not acceptable.
"Mathematically, [the title] is still possible, but today, it's impossible to think about it. We need to digest the result and the performance in the second half, understand why and have a different reaction."
When Arsenal beat Leeds United 4-1 on April 2 (NZ time), they were eight points clear of City and in control of the title race.
Since then, they have managed two wins from seven games and were taken apart at City last month.
Arsenal have made huge strides this season, after finishing fifth last time, but a glum Arteta could find few positives, after his side's second-half capitulation against Brighton.
City's win at Everton, in a game that looked a potential banana skin for Pep Guardiola's side, flattened the mood even before kickoff and Arsenal's display, especially in the second half, was arguably their worst of the season.
"[City's win] cannot be the way to justify what happened in the second half," said Arteta. "At the moment, the feeling is frustration that we gave the game away.
"We fought really hard to be in this position, and today was a critical moment to keep hoping and to keep digging for the dream, but you can't do what we did in the second half."
Arteta says he has a "lot to think about" over the summer, as next season will see Arsenal juggling the Premier League with the demands of the Champions League.
For now, he needs to pick his side up for next Saturday's clash at Nottingham Forest, when defeat would confirm City as champions. Even if Arsenal win, City need only one win from their three remaining league games.
"I hate the feeling of letting people down, when they are really expecting something," Arteta said. "That's the biggest regret that I have today and we have to apologise for that."
Reuters
