'Arsenal must refocus after costly back-to-back defeats'
This was always going to be a difficult game for Arsenal on the back of their Carabao Cup final loss, with obvious fitness issues in their ranks and Southampton in fine form. All the same, this was a poor performance from Mikel Arteta's side. They did not create many serious opportunities and it was often 16-year-old Max Dowman who provided the most threat when the Gunners were going forward.
Arsenal never quite got to grips with Southampton's plan to play long balls behind the defence, and the fact key centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes went off with an injury just compounded a bad night. Another trophy opportunity slipped away with this result, and Arsenal will be perceived by many to be wobbling. They must refocus.
Arsenal remain in a commanding position going into the closing weeks in the Premier League, nine points clear of Manchester City , and they travel to Portugal in the coming week to play Sporting in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. Arteta's challenge is to ensure that costly back-to-back defeats do not signal the start of an even more serious slump that will leave his team without a trophy of any kind come the end of the campaign.