Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur both had a difficult time of it last night, but one man who starred on the south coast was Southampton striker Charlie Austin. The forward scored twice against his former club in an unfortunate result for Arsenal fans hoping to see their team at least sneak into the Champions League spots.
Arsenal lost 4-0 to Southampton in the Premier League on Saturday. It was a disappointing result for Arsenal, which hurts their chances of getting through to the UCL knockout stages. Read more in detail here: arsenal vs southampton 4 0.
12:22 PM EST ET
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Nick Judd is a writer who specializes on transfers.
Arsenal lost a Premier League match against Southampton, squandering a golden opportunity to draw level with Tottenham Hotspur in the fight for fourth place.
Arsenal had the chance to reach 57 points and have a game in hand over their rivals after Spurs lost at home to Brighton earlier in the day. Despite a good start and a powerful finish, Mikel Arteta’s players lacked intensity when faced with the task at hand. Jan Bednarek scored the game-winning goal against the run of play just before halftime, lashing home from close range after good work from Mohamed Elyounoussi.
Arsenal had already squandered two wonderful opportunities to break the stalemate, with Saints goalkeeper Fraser Forster making two outstanding stops to deny the visitors. Forster dived low to his right to stop Gabriel Martinelli and then high to his right to save Bukayo Saka from close range, who really should have done better.
In the second half, Forster was just as tough to defeat, with Eddie Nketiah, Saka, and Granit Xhaka all coming close.
Arteta’s side have now lost three games in a row, giving Manchester United an edge in the hunt for a Champions League berth.
Positives
Arsenal had a strong start and controlled possession, creating two goal-scoring opportunities early on. At the start of the second half, the Gunners had 80 percent possession, and 76 percent overall.
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Negatives
Arsenal will blame themselves for not capitalizing on a promising start. They were guilty of squandering golden opportunities before running out of steam. They made a late threat, but it was too little, too late.
Manager’s score out of ten
5 — Mikel Arteta began with Saka on the left and Martinelli on the right, but neither player seemed to make the most out of the situation. Furthermore, he continued in working with Cedric on set pieces, which seemed peculiar considering the results each time he attempted one. As he pursued the game, Arteta shifted to a back three, and despite increasing the pressure on the home side, Arsenal were unable to reestablish parity.
Those are rated on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the best and players inserted after 70 minutes receiving no rating.
GK Aaron Ramsdale, 5 years old — For the opening half-hour, the goalie had virtually nothing to do as Arsenal controlled possession in front of him. The England international got a hand to Bednarek’s shot but couldn’t keep it out, so his first significant contribution was to pluck the ball out of his net.
DF Ben White, 5 years old — In the early going, it was difficult to keep up with Armando Broja. When he brought the ball out of defense, he was also guilty of slowing the game down at times, and that didn’t alter when he pushed forward in Arteta’s second-half rearrangement.
DF Gabriel Magalhaes, 6 years old — Moments before the Saints scored, the defender was guilty of playing the Saints attackers online. He was, however, one of the few Arsenal players who attempted to split the lines with his passing.
DF 4 — Cedric Soares When I returned to St Mary’s, I was met by ironic jeers. His initial free-kick from a favorable position flew right into the side netting, while his second went over the bar. A dreadful performance.
The defenders for Arsenal had an especially bad game. Getty Images/Southampton FC/Matt Watson
DF 4 — Nuno Tavares The Portuguese defender got off to a stronger start than he had in his previous two games, but he quickly lost his groove. In the second half, he was replaced by Nicolas Pepe.
MF Martin Odegaard, 5 years old — The captain had a dismal day, unable to produce anything in the final third until a scuffed attempt from the outside of the box late in the game.
MF 4 years old Albert Sambi Lokonga — Lokonga was able to pick up the ball in deep places, but he took a long time to transition the ball. He was also guilty of misplacing items on many occasions.
Granit Xhaka, MF, 5 — In the second half, he was given more freedom to go forward, and it nearly paid off when his attempt was superbly stopped by Forster.
Bukayo Saka, FW, 6 — When he had the goal at his mercy, the winger should have given Arsenal the lead, but Forster pushed his shot over the bar with his weaker foot. In the second half, he came close twice but couldn’t get the better of Forster.
Eddie Nketiah, FW, 6 — In Alexandre Lacazette’s absence, he led the line and fought relentlessly to put pressure on Southampton’s defense. However, he had to wait for his first shot on goal, as he, like his colleagues, was unable to beat Forster.
Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Martinelli Arsenal’s first opportunity of the game. He cut in from the right side onto his left foot, forcing Forster to make a low right-handed stop. Shortly after, he set up Saka with a wonderful pass. Throughout, it seemed to be brilliant.
Substitutes
Rowe, Emile Smith (Soares, 60) 6 — Arsenal’s assault gained a stronger feeling of urgency, leaving supporters scratching their heads as to why he didn’t start.
Nicolas Pepe is a Spanish actor (Tavares, 70) — n/a In the closing 20 minutes, the Frenchman seemed to be in good spirits. Southampton will be relieved that he did not start the match.
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