Newcastle United defender Chancel Mbemba has insisted that his side "deserved more" from their 1-0 defeat to Arsenal in their Premier League clash.
The Magpies were reduced to 10 men early in the match when Aleksandar Mitrovic was sent off for a late challenge on Francis Coquelin.
However, they managed to hold out for 52 minutes until Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's strike deflected off Fabricio Coloccini into the net to hand the Gunners the win.
Mbemba has admitted that he was disappointed with the result, but believes that the commitment his side showed despite their numerical disadvantage bodes well for the rest of the campaign.
He told the club's official website: "We definitely deserved more. Given the situation, I think we managed the first half really well and put in a lot of hard work before half time. Unfortunately, in the second half they got the goal and we had to really push hard to try and get anything from the game.
"It didn't work for us but I would like to say thank you to the fans because they really pushed us along and helped us. Arsenal are a massive team who keep the ball very well and pass it well. We gave everything we could on the pitch - we left everything out there.
"Everyone gave 100%. It was a massive effort, and we also showed the desire and will to go out there and compete with Arsenal - even with 10 men. For me, it is really important that we honour the Newcastle shirt every time we pull it on, and today I think we did that."
Newcastle are 19th in the Premier League after four matches this season.
Simon Sinclair
