Arsenal suffered their third successive Premier League defeat over the weekend, losing 1-0 to Southampton on Saturday afternoon.
A first-half Jan Bednarek finish secured all three points for the home side in what was a frustrating afternoon for the north London outfit. Mikel Arteta's side enjoyed the lion's share of possession and fashioned 22 attempts but failed to find a way past an in-form Fraser Forster.
The former Celtic shot-stopper made a number of excellent saves to deny the likes of Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe in what was a major blow to the Gunners' chances of qualifying for next season's UEFA Champions League. Portuguese left-back Nuno Tavares delivered a solid display after Arteta reintroduced him into the starting XI whilst his countryman and fellow fullback Cedric Soares put in a disappointing performance against his former club.
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Aaron Ramsdale: Couldn't really do much about the goal and made a couple of good low saves aside from that. Some decent sweeping off his line too. 6.
Cedric: A poor afternoon for the Portuguese right back. Two awfully taken free kicks and a few moments where he was easily drawn in by Perraud's attempts to wind him up. Was the full-back sacrificed this time instead of Nuno. 4.
Ben White: Limped back on despite being injured to play the Saints attackers on in the build-up to the goal and wasn't at his best on the ball, giving it away on several occasions. 5.
Gabriel: Stuck up for his teammates and showed leadership at times but was a little cumbersome on the ball. Not his worst game but far from his best. 5.
Nuno Tavares: A much better outing for the 22-year-old who looked way more switched on and was positioned far better defensively. He appeared to be finding some confidence again as he unleashed some shots before being taken off for what were genuinely tactical reasons this time. 7.
Albert Sambi Lokonga: A bit too eager to play sideways and backwards instead of playing penetrative passes through the Southampton backline. Not terrible but not great either. 5.
Granit Xhaka: Did a good job covering Nuno going forward and showed his tactical versatility by playing three different positions in the match. He showed some decent progressive passing when he was in the midfield. 6.
Martin Odegaard: Captain for the day and did show a decent bit of leadership in the first half with his passing. He faded dramatically in the second half though as he was asked to play a slightly deeper role with Arsenal chasing the game. 6.
Bukayo Saka: Yes, Fraser Forster made a good save, but Bukayo Saka really shouldn't have given him the chance. He didn't give up, but if Arsenal doesn't make top four, it will be missed opportunities like that that will haunt them. 6.
Eddie Nketiah: His first start in the Premier League, and he did his best to make it count. He pressed Southampton relentlessly, creating some good opportunities in the first half. The main criticism would be the lack of goal threat, but this was a far more complete display than anything Alexandre Lacazette has managed in the past few weeks. 7.
Gabriel Martinelli: Swapped wings from the right to left in the game but didn't pose too much of a threat. As Arsenal were chasing the game, he seemed curious that one of their most potent finishers was in the wide areas and not up top. 6.
SUBSTITUTES -
Emile Smith Rowe: Had a big chance to equalise, but Forster produced yet another wonder save. He doesn't look as comfortable in the left eight role as he does out wide. 6.
Nicolas Pepe: Introduced to save the day but couldn't. Another relatively anonymous cameo from the Ivorian. 5.
