Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has called on his side to show a strong response after they were unfairly knocked out of the FA Cup by Championship side Southampton this evening.
Just two weeks after losing the EFL Cup final to Manchester City, the Gunners saw another trophy elude them as Shea Charles netted five minutes from time to set up a thrilling cup game on the south coast.
Ross Stewart had given Southampton a goal in the 35th minute but Viktor Gyokeres came off the bench to equalize for the Premier League leaders in the second half. The game seemed headed for extra time only for Northern Ireland’s Charles to fire a shot past Kepa Arrizabalaga and send the home crowd into a frenzy.
If that wasn’t bad enough for Arteta, he also saw key defender Gabriel substituted after what appeared to be a knee injury.
Arteta was frustrated by Arsenal’s poor defending
Arsenal have the best defensive record in the Premier League but they looked uncomfortable all night, much to Arteta’s disappointment.
“The result and especially the way we conceded two goals…,” he said. “We had a lot of dominance inside and around the box. We conceded the first goal in an unusual way for us, the second through direct play. We had two big chances and we had to use them. If you make the mistakes we defended today, it’s very difficult to be in the semi-finals.”
It was a wet and windy night with Storm David making conditions difficult but Arteta was not looking for excuses.
“You have to adapt to the wind, injuries,” he added. “You have to adapt to difficult situations during the season. Now we have to show what we are made of.”
Next up for Arsenal is the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Sporting CP and midfielder Christian Norgaard says the players know they need to do better than they did tonight.
He said: “There was a lot of chaos. They were very sharp in the transition which we didn’t handle well. We had a lot of pressure in the second half especially when we equalized and we conceded a stupid goal with the post which we will not allow or accept. It is very annoying, but we have a big game on Tuesday and time to show what we are made of.
“There were times when we felt in control but there were times when they were really with us. Overall it wasn’t good enough. But there were times when we could have enjoyed the momentum a little bit. Those are the times when we should have been sharper.”
Eckert is proud of his players as super Saints moving forward
It was a frustrating night for the Gunners but a treat for Southampton, who extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to 15 games.
“We changed well today,” manager Tonda Eckert told BBC Sport. “It was a challenge, we knew it would be a difficult game.
“He likes to have spells on the ball, we knew there would be situations where we would have to move more than we usually do and we praise the boys.”
Southampton remain in the hunt for a Championship place with their next game against fellow top six Wrexham on Tuesday night.
When Eckert was asked if this win will ensure that his team will win the run, he said: “The belief is always there, it was not a problem, the truth is that the game is close. It will be nice to celebrate today but we open Wrexham football and the Championship tomorrow.”
