Arsene Wenger admitted his side were low on confidence as Arsenal succumbed to a second 3-0 defeat in four days to Manchester City.
The Gunners were torn apart by the Manchester club in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday and could not improve on their losing margin when they faced the Citizens in the league at the Emirates Stadium.
The Premier League leaders blew their north London opponents away in a scintillating first-half display which saw them score all three goals.
He said: "I think it was a game with a team of top quality and full of confidence against us who were low on confidence.
"I knew before the game the first half would be difficult for us after what happened on Sunday and we needed at least to be level at half-time.
"They took advantage of our lack of confidence.
"I don't want to take anything away from their individual quality, but it was soft defending on our side.
"We're going through a difficult period, they're going through a period where all goes well for them."
Victory sees Pep Guardiola’s side restore their lead at the top of the table to 16 points as they take another step towards the 2017/18 league title.