Arsene Wenger has blamed the transfer window being open for his Arsenal side's 4-0 defeat at Liverpool, following Sunday's 0-0 draw at Chelsea.
The Gunners have regularly struggled against the top teams in the league over recent years and were expected to face a stiff test from Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
It was one Wenger's men coped with as they battled hard and enjoyed their own share of chances in a game from which they took a point.
The match was in sharp contrast to their display at Anfield in late August, which saw Jurgen Klopp's men rip through the Gunners side and run out comprehensive 4-0 winners.
Wenger thinks the difference between the Chelsea and Liverpool games was that the transfer window was open when his men travelled to Merseyside, however Chelsea drubbed Arsenal 6-0 in March 2014, while Liverpool thrashed Arsenal 5-1 in February 2014 and 3-1 in March 2017; on every occasion the transfer window was closed.
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"The battle was total", he was quoted as saying by the BBC following the Chelsea draw.
"We are not in a transfer period and on the day we played Liverpool that affected us. We are all human beings.
"If you play 55 games a season you can have a bad performance.
"But we were focused and determined. We tried to play when we had the ball and we were close to winning the game.
"With a bit more freedom we would have won the game", he added.
Following their draw at Stamford Bridge, Arsenal sit in 12th spot in the Premier League standings, having taken seven points from their opening five games.
Next up for the Gunners is a visit from Doncaster Rovers in the EFL Cup.
