Kieran McKenna reacts to Arsenal thrashing: “Best we’ve faced all season”

Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna admitted that Arsenal delivered the most impressive performance his side has encountered all season, following a heavy 4-0 loss at Portman Road.

Fresh off their midweek Champions League triumph over Real Madrid, Arsenal wasted no time asserting themselves. Early goals from Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli set the tone, while a red card for Leif Davis — following a late challenge on Bukayo Saka — further tilted the match in the Gunners' favor.

Arsenal added two more through Trossard and rising star Ethan Nwaneri, rounding off a ruthless and controlled performance that left McKenna’s men with little room to respond.

"It was a really tough game, probably two different games to a certain extent," said McKenna, whose side, having lost seven home games on the spin, are likely to have their relegation confirmed at Newcastle next weekend.

"It's already tough 11 v 11. Arsenal started really well. I felt at the start of the game that was probably the highest standard that we've faced this year, to be honest, so the group was absolutely at full stretch trying to compete in the first 20/30 minutes.

"We had a few moments where we cold have hurt the opposition, but in the end their execution was better than ours and their quality shone through in the goals. They were the better team and deserved the lead at that point.

"Of course then the red card makes it almost an impossible task in terms of getting back into the game, but I thought the group showed good qualities with 10 men. The second half is a tough situation, but I thought we managed it well. The defensive organisation, spirit, resilience was really good and we didn't give up too many things in free play. 

"We knew if we did that then we'd get one or two moments up around their box, like we did in the Aston Villa game (with 10 men), and we did get a couple of little moments. You need one of those to go in the net to have a chance in the game, but they didn't.

"Then we're disappointed with a couple of short corners which are difficult to deal with. They're good on short corners and when you lose that man it becomes really difficult to match up in terms of numbers in the box, even when it's 11 v 11."

Meanwhile, McKenna conceded he 'couldn't have too many complaints' about Leif Davis being shown a red card for his first half challenge on Bukayo Saka. Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta concurred there was no intent to injure, but labelled the tackle 'dangerous'.

Ipswich Town vs. Arsenal – Match Stats (April 20, 2025)