Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta encouraged by 'beautiful' meeting with players in wake of Man Utd defeat

Mikel Arteta has revealed he called his players for a meeting to "bring down the temperature" - and pleaded with Arsenal's anxious fanbase to "jump on the fun boat" - in the wake of their defeat to Manchester United.

Arsenal's Premier League title tilt was dealt a blow following a 3-2 loss to United at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday. Arteta's squad have taken just two points from the nine available across their last three matches.

However, Arsenal remain four points clear at the top of the table, and on Wednesday, take on Kairat at home in the Champions League bidding to retain their immaculate record in Europe so far. They are also on course to reach the Carabao Cup final and remain in the FA Cup.

And Arteta said: "The reaction since United has been excellent. We took a moment [on Monday] to bring the temperature down, to pause, to reflect and ask two questions.

"One was: 'How do we feel? And how do I feel myself?'. And then: 'How do we want to live the next four months?'

"It was so encouraging and beautiful, because what came out of there [the meeting] is very simple.

"We have earned the right to be in a great position in four competitions, and in the next four months we're going to live and play with enjoyment, with a lot of courage and with the conviction that we're going to win it.

"This is going to be the mindset and where we're going to put our energy, and I'm just hoping that everybody that is related to this club, especially our supporters, jump on that boat because this is the way that we're going to live the next four months because we deserve to live like this."

Arteta insisted that the Monday meeting with his players was always planned.

He added: "We do it every three to four weeks. It's really important to understand the reality versus the perspective, and sometimes you have to look with the microscope and then you have to put the telescope in. You have to be able to see everything with clarity.

"I told [the players] how good they are, and how grateful we are to share every single day with them, and just to make sure that we enjoy with a lot of conviction that it's going to happen because it's our moment and we really want it."

Arsenal have finished runners-up for the past three seasons and have not won the league in 22 years.

And when asked if that could be playing on the supporters' minds - some of whom booed at the final whistle following the loss to United - Arteta replied: "It's a possibility, but we cannot control that. What happened in the past has to be very powerful to learn for the future.

"That's why I encouraged them to jump in this boat because it's going to be fun, because the excitement, that conviction, that energy, that will, is the way you have to live when you want to achieve a dream. We're going to give absolutely everything."

The Gunners boss was also questioned about his forwards' recent lack of goals, with not one Arsenal player in the top 20 for Premier League goals this season, while they have the third lowest percentage for goals scored by forwards in the Premier League.

"We want those numbers to be higher, but as well we are three goals away from the best team," he said. "So are not that far, the margins are still very small and maybe they are contributing to other players to score a lot of goals.

"We want to be the best in every stat, but it is very important that we can read the stats in the manner that are useful for us and our players."

And when pressed about Bukayo Saka's own struggles in front of goal of late, with the England forward having not scored in his last 13 games, the Spaniard was again quick to defend the player: "Look what he has done over the past 200 games. It is simple."

Declan Rice and Mikel Merino will be absent for the match against Kairat through suspension, while the injured Jurrien Timber and William Saliba also miss out.