Arsene Wenger Accuses Arsenal Players of 'Repeating the Same Mistakes' in Notts Forest Defeat

​Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has accused his players of 'repeating the same mistakes' as they fell to a shock defeat against Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup third round.

The Gunners were beaten 4-2 at the City Ground in a pitiful display, which was their earliest ever exit from the competition under Wenger's management.

The Frenchman fielded a weakened side for the clash, although the more inexperienced players were arguably the only shining lights on the day for the ​Premier League side.

Speaking after the game, Wenger, ​who had to watch the game from the stands after accepting a three-game misconduct charge from the FA, said as quoted by ​Sky Sports: 

"I knew before coming here, it would be a tricky place to go. You know when you come back it was important not to make a mistake again - that's why it's disappointing because during the game, we repeated the same mistakes and that's where we were guilty today. Once, twice, three times, and at that level, you cannot afford that.

"We were not good enough anywhere, not at the front, not in the middle, not at the back, and we paid for it. They looked sharper, had more chances, and that's all I can say. They had an outstanding performance and I couldn't fault any of their individual performances.

"Overall you can congratulate ​Nottingham Forest for an outstanding performance - sharp, winning decisive challenges, always dangerous going forward and overall they deserved the win today. Simple as that."

​Arsenal's defeat will be a tough one to take for the fans, especially given their success in the competition in recent years. They will now be looking to bounce back with victory against ​Chelsea in the Carabao Cup semi-final this week.