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Arsenal boss Unai Emery bemoans defensive frailties after conceding twice at home to Vorskla Poltava

Emery's Arsenal are yet to keep a clean sheet: AFP/Getty Images
Emery's Arsenal are yet to keep a clean sheet: AFP/Getty Images

Unai Emery has warned Arsenal they must break their habit of conceding sloppy goals after Vorskla Poltava became the latest side to breach their defence.

Arsenal are without a clean sheet in six matches since Emery’s appointment, though a 4-2 win in their opening Europa League group game also means the Gunners have won four in succession.

The margin of victory looked to be comprehensive after two goals from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang that bookended Danny Welbeck’s fine header were followed by a close-range finish from Mesut Ozil.

However Vorskla, who finished third in the Ukrainian league last season, ensured the few fans who had made the journey to London did not go home disappointed as Volodymyr Chesnakov smacked a powerful effort into the roof of debutant Bernd Leno’s net and Vyacheslav Sharpar added a second with the final kick of the match.

For Emery the late goals, impressive though they were, spoiled what should have been an impressive triumph.

“It’s one thing we are speaking about before each match,” Emery told Standard Sport. “To take a mentality of not conceding easy chances [is important]. Today was a good opportunity to show that.

“In the last 20 minutes we needed to be better on that competitive aspect.”

He added: “It’s disappointing but I also have confidence that little by little we are conceding fewer chances, like against Newcastle.

“We need to improve on this because [we conceded in] the last minute in Newcastle, today the last 20 minutes. Our challenge is to be competitive in 90 minutes over each match.”

Leno, vying to overhaul Petr Cech as Unai Emery’s first-first-choice following his £22million arrival from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer, might rue those late concessions though there was nothing he could do about either.

“We conceded two goals but not because of one mistake,” said Emery. “For him he got minutes and he takes confidence for the matches he will play next week.”