Mikel Arteta did not hide his frustration after Arsenal crashed out of the FA Cup with a 2-1 quarter-final defeat at St. Mary’s against Southampton.
‘We Have to Do Better’: Arteta Reflects on Southampton Defeat
The Gunners entered the tie hoping to keep their trophy hopes alive following a Carabao Cup final loss to Manchester City. Instead, a rotated Arsenal side fell to a determined Championship opponent.
Arteta pointed to two main issues: defensive errors and a lack of ruthlessness in attack.
Southampton took the lead when Ross Stewart beat Ben White, who misjudged a switched pass.
Throughout the match, sloppy giveaways from Martin Odegaard, Cristhian Mosquera and Myles Lewis-Skelly allowed the hosts to launch dangerous counter-attacks.
“They are a really good side,” Arteta said.
“It’s not a coincidence given the run they’re on. They were more efficient than us when it mattered most, and that’s why they are going to Wembley.”
The Arsenal manager refused to blame the opponent’s tactical approach. “We played against any kind of behaviours.
We’ve played 51 games, so imagine the amount of games we’ve won in different ways.
Without taking any credit from Southampton, this was very related to something we have to do a lot better.”
Arsenal also struggled to convert chances. Odegaard wasted a golden opportunity in the first half, mishitting a cutback from Gabriel Martinelli.
Viktor Gyokeres did score, continuing his fine international form, but the questions about Arsenal’s attacking ruthlessness remain.
“We had many periods of dominance and generated chances,” Arteta explained.
“We didn’t capitalise on that enough. When you defend in and around the box the way we did today, you put yourself in a really difficult position.”
Arteta also confirmed a potential injury blow. Gabriel Magalhaes asked to be substituted during the match.
“I don’t know exactly what it is. We’ll have to assess him. When a player asks to be substituted, it’s never good news.”
Arsenal now turn their full attention to the Premier League title race, but this cup exit leaves a bitter taste.
