Mikel Arteta had one strict instruction for the Arsenal squad at half-time vs Sunderland

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Mikel Arteta had a rare challenge at half-time as Arsenal went into the interval behind at the Stadium of Light.

For the first time in six weeks, Arsenal conceded a goal, as former academy star Dan Ballard opened the scoring for Sunderland. 

The Gunners conceded a second in injury time to end their winning streak as well as their clean sheet run, drawing 2-2 with the Black Cats.

Ironically, the last time that Arsenal went into half-time behind was also in the North East, giving Arteta a challenge in the dressing room, just as he had at St James’ Park. 

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Riccardo Calafiori reveals what Mikel Arteta told the Arsenal squad at half-time against Sunderland 

At St James’ Park, the Gunners were able to turn things around, turning the game on its head to win 2-1 against Newcastle.

Arteta’s half-time team talk at Newcastle worked a treat, but Sunderland presented an entirely different challenge.

It came as no surprise to learn that Arteta’s primary request at half-time at the Stadium of Light was to see his side take back control of the game by winning more duels.

Riccardo Calafiori revealed what was said in the dressing room when speaking to Arsenal’s official website post-match. 

“[Arteta] just said that we needed to basically win our duels and then from there we could start to play our game, so that’s what we did,” Calafiori explained.

The Italian went on to share his opinion that the Arsenal squad took the manager’s request on board, but it wasn’t enough to prevent Sunderland from finding a way back. 

“I think you would have seen on the pitch in the second half, I think we deserved it, we played better than them and just in one action you concede, and you draw the game, but this is the level.”

There was certainly a change spotted from the Gunners after Arteta’s team talk, but the issue was that Regis Le Bris clearly sent his players a similar message.

Sunderland’s objective prevented Arteta’s demand from happening 

Arsenal had the chance to win it, but Ballard’s tremendous block on Mikel Merino prevented the North Londoners from snatching three points at the death. 

It summed up Sunderland’s performance, as the newly-promoted side were sensational when it came to duel-winning from the first whistle to the last.

The statistics highlighted the shift in momentum, as while Arsenal bid to improve on their duel-winning after the interval, it was Sunderland who really turned it up in that department.

Despite Arteta’s demands, Arsenal were actually superior to Sunderland when it came to duel-winning in the first half, but after the break, the hosts came to life.

Sunderland went from winning 25% of their tackles in the first half to 75% of them in the second half, giving the Gunners a real challenge.

It was an incredibly tough outing for Arteta’s side, who were truly put to the test by a magnificent Sunderland team.