Mikel Arteta has admitted his Arsenal side have wasted a "huge" chance to make ground in the race for the top four.
The Gunners slumped to a third successive defeat at the hands of Southampton after Jan Bednarek's 44th minute volley from close range was enough to separate the two teams. Arsenal enjoyed so much of the ball but failed to convert their overwhelming amount of possession into anything particularly threatening.
Emile Smith Rowe missed what was arguably Arsenal's clearest chance of the game after he scuffed his volley and gave Saints shot-stopper Fraser Forster a chance to claw the effort away and out for a corner. Arteta's side barely laid a glove on their hosts during what was their attempt at some kind of late onslaught.
The Arsenal boss was asked how big of an opportunity the game was, to which he simply responded "huge." He did go on to explain how he thought his side were unfortunate to come away with nothing.
"If somebody didn't know the score and is watching the game and asks who won the game, they will say that Arsenal won it comfortably. But it's not the case.
"It's difficult to explain because this is football not basketball. It’s decided in the boxes and for the amount of time we spent around their box we didn’t put them on the goal. They had an exceptional goalkeeper."
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Defeat for Arsenal means the Gunners have spurned the chance to make ground on their North London neighbours Tottenham Hotspur who were also beaten 1-0 at home to Brighton & Hove Albion. Arteta's side remain three points adrift of Spurs with a game in hand.
The result, mixed with Manchester United ’s 3-2 win at home to Norwich means the Gunners actually slump to sixth place after a concerning decline in form. With a daunting run of fixtures coming up, Arteta may be concerned that his side could actually slip outside of the top six.
Their next game comes in the form of a trip to Chelsea on Wednesday night, before welcoming Ralf Rangnick's United to the Emirates next Saturday. That is swiftly followed by another away game at West Ham United, who could also go above Arsenal with a win at home to Burnley on Sunday.
The Gunners lack of firepower up front yet again came back to haunt them at Saint Mary's, with Eddie Nketiah failing to step up in the wake of Alexandre Lacazette's absence. The decision to allow former talisman Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to leave continues to spark debate nearly four months later.
Lacazette and Nketiah have just four Premier League goals between them, with all four notched by the former - feeble numbers for a strike force representing a club trying to get back into the Champions League.
