STEVE Bruce was forced to accept the onset of fatigue finally caught up with his Hull City side as they were soundly beaten 2-0 at Premier League leaders Arsenal last night.
City fell to a fourth consecutive away defeat in the league when goals from Nicklas Bendtner and Mesut Ozil handed a stylish Arsenal side all three points at the Emirates.
Just three days after a gutsy performance had inspired a 3-1 win over Liverpool at the KC Stadium, City never looked capable of pulling off another shock victory after falling behind to Bendtner's goal inside two minutes.
Bruce was full of praise for his side's application as Arsenal's attacking edge was curbed, but the Tigers boss believed the weekend exertions against Liverpool had taken their toll.
"It was always going to be a big ask for us," said Bruce, who saw his side fall to 12th in the Premier League.
"Were we going to be a bit leggy? You need the intensity and after Sunday, of course, we can't make five or six changes. But they stuck at it.
"We've killed ourselves twice, the last thing you need when you're coming to Arsenal is to concede after two minutes.
"They're a very good side to play, because of their quality. It could have been one of those nights where you embarrass yourself.
"We set out to do exactly what we did on Sunday but I think that's four times we've conceded away from home in the first minutes. When you go 1-0 down to this lot you could be in for a real awful evening but we stuck at it."
Only the efforts of Allan McGregor, who twice denied man of the moment Aaron Ramsey, kept the scoreline decent in a fixture that rarely saw the Tigers threaten Arsenal's dominance.
Ozil's goal three minutes after half-time effectively killed off their challenge following a strong finish to the first period from City, but Bruce bemoaned the impact made by his former striker Bendtner.
In the Dane's first Premier League start for the Gunners since March 2011, a one-time servant at Birmingham and Sunderland returned to haunt his former boss.
Bruce admitted he had made a play for Bendtner in the summer and said: "We were having a look, but the level of salary's always going to be a problem for us. He's a good boy. It was Sod's Law he would do that.
"He did really well for me, twice, did Nicklas. As a football player, for someone of the size of him and what he's got, I hope sooner or later he knuckles down and makes a go of his career. He reminds us all of that, on nights like this."
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger was suitably content as his side's sixth consecutive home win maintained a four-point lead at the summit.
He said: "We had a good control of the game. Overall it was a very convincing performance."
