Arsenal U23 coach Freddie Ljungberg offered no excuses after their 4-0 defeat by Blackburn Rovers.

Key players such as Eddie Nketiah, Emile Smith Rowe, Joe Willock and Bukayo Saka were absent, but Ljungberg insisted that this was no excuse for the result.

Ljungberg pulled no punches: "Of course it's hard to end in defeat, but that's how it is. When we get a lot of players going through to the first team, it then affects the team from that angle because we don't have the same kind of players and that's just how the equation works.

"On one hand as a coach you feel extremely proud and happy that we're getting so many players through and they're not with us, but at the same time there's a difference. We spoke about the players here and they have then been handed the opportunity to play.

"Of course today we played some players totally out of position because we don't have enough players, but that's when you [have to] stand up and be counted for. There will be people here watching but that doesn't really matter, that's when you get your chance. We folded today."