Walcott still upbeat despite defeat

Walcott still upbeat despite defeat

Published Nov. 3, 2010 9:15 p.m. ET

Walcott had given the visitors an early lead but a Craig Eastmond own goal, on his European starting debut, levelled matters before former Gunner Eduardo struck a winner just before half-time. It meant Shakhtar drew level with Arsenal at the top of Group H, while extending their unbeaten home run to an impressive 49 games. "It's a tough place to come to. They have a good home record," Walcott said. "You want an early goal. We wanted to silence the crowd and work from there, but that's football in the end. "Going in a 2-1 down, it could have been more for them. We didn't defend very well after going ahead. "My goal doesn't mean anything because we couldn't quite get the win. But we're still in a strong position. We're still top." Speaking about his 10th-minute strike, which Walcott took early after making a quick break, he added: "I felt the keeper wasn't quite set and I took him by surprise. That's something I've been practising and it came off. "I always feel now I'll score them."

ADVERTISEMENT
share