Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating) If the Gunners can't start firing on all cylinders from kick-off they'll never find a way to finish in the top four. This habit of waiting until half-time to make adjustments and start to play more aggressively has to end. But he has to take responsibility for Arsenal's continued failure to play well in the first half. This was a massive step backward for Unai Emery's rebuilding project.Ĥ - Emery had very limited options in defence and wisely went with a back three to start the game, before more injuries forced his hand again as he changed formation after the break. Then they left themselves exposed to another counter-attack while pushing for a late winner. Arsenal came out surprisingly flat and failed to match Southampton's intensity and desire in the first half. And then there was the performance itself. Seeing the unbeaten streak end is painful enough, but Arsenal also lost vital ground to top-four rivals Chelsea and Tottenham while seeing more defenders limp off with injuries. Arsenal badly need Mkhitaryan to find his best form again, especially with Mesut Ozil's place in the team in doubt and Alex Iwobi struggling to make an impact. The Armenia midfielder has struggled mightily in the final third in recent months but netted Arsenal's first goal with a well-taken header and then got a slice of luck with a deflected shot for the second. The only good news for Arsenal in this game was seeing Mkhitaryan find his scoring touch again. All three Southampton goals came from crosses into the box, with Danny Ings heading in the first two and Charlie Austin netting the winner in the 85th minute.Īrsenal managed to level the match twice through two Henrikh Mkhitaryan goals but couldn't find a third equaliser as they fell to a first loss since their defeat at Chelsea in the second game of the season. The hosts took full advantage of the Gunners' makeshift defence to give new manager Ralph Hasenhuttl a first Premier League victory. You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browserĪrsenal's Koscielny, Iwobi and Emery only worth 4/10 for loss at SouthamptonĪrsenal's 22-match unbeaten run came to a screeching halt with a 3-2 loss at Southampton on Sunday.
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