Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger conceded his team had been punished for a “disastrous” performance after they were thrashed 4-0 by fellow Premier League title hopefuls Liverpool on Sunday.

Liverpool scored through Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Daniel Sturridge at Anfield to condemn Arsenal to a second successive defeat after last weekend’s 1-0 loss at Stoke City.

“Mentally it was difficult,” Wenger told Sky Sports. “A very disappointing performance. It was disastrous.

“The result is a consequence of the performance. It was not good enough. We were beaten everywhere physically and in the end we made it easier for them.

“We have done recently well in the big games. That is why today is even more disappointing.”

Wenger faced dissent from large sections of Arsenal’s support last season as his side missed out on Champions League qualification for the first time in 20 years.

But he masterminded a stunning victory over Chelsea in the FA Cup final and then signed a new two-year contract.

Asked about shouts of “Wenger out!” that were heard from the away end, Wenger replied: “I don’t want to answer that. It’s part of the crowd’s feeling.

“If some people feel as if I am the problem, then I am sorry that I am the problem.

“But we want the fans to be with us even when we lose like that. All we can do is come back and give them a different level of performance.”