Arsenal were dealt yet another blow to their Premier League title hopes on Friday with a 3-3 draw with Southampton. The result is the third consecutive game that the Gunners have dropped points after back-to-back draws with Liverpool and West Ham.
The point extends their lead over Manchester City at the top of the table to four points, though Pep Guardiola's now have two games in hand. Wednesday's clash between the two sides looks set to be a winner-takes-all fixture.
There will be positives to take from the contest in the capital, with Mikel Arteta's men showing incredible fight to rescue a draw in the dying minutes. Goals from Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka in the 88th and 90th minute were enough to salvage a point after falling 3-1 down.
READ MORE: How many points Arsenal need to be crowned Premier League champions after Southampton draw
Many will pinpoint this run of form as the downfall of Arsenal if they fail to lift the league title next month. With that being said, football.london takes a look at what the national media have said about the draw.
The Mirror
In the Mirror, John Cross noticed the players' reaction after the full-time whistle. "This was an open goal missed against the bottom club. Arsenal look like a team unable to handle the pressure of a title race which suggests they are a long way from being champions. Arsenal are virtually gift-wrapping the title to City as, for the third game, they dropped points and yet this time was the most unfathomable on a crazy, ridiculous night.
"They pressed the self destruct button with a series of terrible mistakes, left the fight back way too late as they barely created any chances until the last gasp drama. Even at 3-3, Leandro Trossard hit the bar and Reiss Nelson saw a shot defected agonisingly wide in a breathless finish.
"But Arsenal will know they have blown it. Too many players have lost their nerve. From Aaron Ramsdale ’s howler to gift Southampton the lead after 28 seconds to Odegaard’s misplaced passes and Fabio Vieira and Rob Holding not looking up to the task."
The Telegraph
In the Telegraph, the Gunners' emotions were highlighted. Sam Dean wrote: "There have been times this season when Arsenal’s sheer desperation to win this league title has powered them to victory. When the strength of the emotions and desire to course through their veins, and all around their stadium, have proved to be far more important than any tactical decisions or technical skills.
"But willpower can only take you so far and all those emotions can only fuel you for so long. Mikel Arteta said he believed in destiny yet fate can be a nasty beast, and here it teased him and his players. For a few moments, it felt as if another sensational comeback victory was inevitable — and then the whistle blew, and the reality of the situation hit them in the face.
"On the night and in the immediate moment, this did not feel disastrous for Arsenal. They were two goals down with two minutes remaining, and did not lose the game. In usual circumstances, such an outcome would be a source of celebration and delirium.
"But these are not usual circumstances, and the bigger picture is not a pretty one. Against relegation-threatened Southampton, they conceded three goals and failed to secure three points. That is not how you overpower Manchester City over the course of a season, and it is certainly not how you win league titles.
"Three full matches have now passed since Arsenal last felt the sweet sensation of victory, and no stirring comeback — with late goals scored by Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka — can mask the truth of the situation, which is that they have lost their momentum in the title race."
The Guardian
In the Guardian, Arsenal's defensive fragilities were pinpointed as an ongoing issue. Nick Ames wrote: "Deep into eight minutes of added time the ball fell to Reiss Nelson, Arsenal’s man for a fairytale moment, and the Emirates fleetingly braced itself to do it all again. Their players had levelled from nothing against a fine, dogged Southampton but a draw would be little better than a defeat for their title hopes. Now the crowd were willing them towards the North Bank goal and, as Nelson took aim near the edge of the box, they prepared for the most thrilling act of deja vu.
"This time Nelson shot just wide, a deflection off James Ward-Prowse diverting the effort off target, and Arsenal would not come close any more. There was to be no repeat of the heroics that steered their rollercoaster past Bournemouth last month: given they were 3-1 down in the 88th minute here it would have been their most spectacular salvage operation yet, but they had set themselves too steep a task and will probably count a heavy cost.
"Amid the noise after Nelson’s crushing of the Cherries, a vocal minority had cautioned that Arsenal’s penchant for enjoyable chaos might not lend itself to a successful pursuit of top spot. The team’s offering here felt like the logical endpoint of that argument: the game was far beyond their control within 14 minutes of the start, excellent finishes from Carlos Alcaraz and Theo Walcott made possible by some truly rank defending, and from then they were always scampering uphill. If they were too measured in allowing Liverpool and West Ham to overhaul them in the previous two games, now Arsenal were impossibly helter-skelter."
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