Arsenal’s trophy hopes are down to two after a stunning 2-1 loss to second-tier side Southampton at St. Mary’s on Saturday, and Mikel Arteta said his players failed to “capitalize” and reach the FA Cup semifinal at Wembley Stadium.
The Gunners answered Ross Stewart’s opening strike through substitute Viktor Gyokeres but found themselves behind again when Shea Charles scored late with a precision strike on a counter attack.
MORE — Southampton v Arsenal recap, video highlights
Arsenal lost the League Cup Final to Manchester City but are still in pole position to win the Premier LEague and have a favorable Champions League quarterfinal against Sporting Lisbon beginning this week.
Still, this was not the plan for Arteta as his side also saw Gabriel Magalhaes exit with an apparent injury.
Mikel Arteta reaction — How did Arsenal boss respond to shocking FA Cup exit at Southampton?
How disappointed are you? “Yeah, very disappointed in the manner that we missed the chance to get to Wembley. We generated chances situations. We didn’t capitalize on that enough.”
Did unfamiliar lineup hurt Arsenal? “That team had very good moments in certain moments. They should have capitalized and been [on to] Wembley and we haven’t done it.”
What’s most disappointing? “Especially the way we conceded the two goals. We had so much dominance in and around the box. We conceded the first goal in a very unusual way for us, the second one from direct play as well. We had two massive chances and needed to capitalize on that. If you make defending errors we made today it’s very difficult to be in the semi-final.”
Too many errors? “They are part of football, and unfortunately, when we make them [they are in big places].”
Gabriel Magalhaes injury update? “I don’t know. He felt something, we don’t know exactly what it is. But when a player asked to be substituted, it’s not ideal.”
How can Arsenal get out of this down period? “In the same manner when you win-win-win that makes you think you’re better than what you are, you have to be very stable in every competition that you play.”
Christian Norgaard reaction — Arsenal midfielder speaks after loss
“It was at times a little bit too chaotic. They were very sharp in transitions which we didn’t manage very well. We had the momentum in the second half especially when we equalized [but] we conceded a very stupid goal from a goal kick which we cannot allow or accept. Very frustrating for us, but already a big game on Tuesday and time for us to show what we are made of.”
On if Arsenal never felt in control: “There were times when we felt in control but there were moments when they really had us. Overall not good enough.”
Did the unusual lineup hurt the performance? “There are no excuses for tonight. It has nothing to do with injuries or availability. We had a really good team on the pitch that should have been competing at a high level.”
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