There was little sign of improvement at Arsenal despite the club chiefs telling a meeting of the playing staff that there was an urgent need for improvement in the team’s performance. The major club’s 2-2 drawn match against Southampton, languishing at the bottom of the Premier League, was yet another setback both from the result point on view and particularly from the nature of their performance.
A worried Arsenal coach, Unai Emery, said: “I know I can do better and I am trying to do so. We are disappointed, frustrated, also I understand the supporters and the players feel the same. My job is to work, analyse and find the solution to improve.”
Arsenal are lying in seventh position on the league table, a situation unacceptable for a club of their stature.
Emery went on to say: “I can understand the supporters. We didn’t deserve more today. We lost a very good opportunity to connect with our supporters. “(The lack of celebration after the equaliser) is an example of how the players felt. They felt it was not enough, our performance, to achieve victory. We can be disappointed and the fans also angry for that result.”
Arsenal were out-witted and out-performed for most of the 97 minutes to leave already under-fire coach under even more pressure. Southampton took the lead as early as the eighth minute when Nathan Redmond was fouled and Ryan Bertrand slipped the free-kick for the striker Danny Ings to stride forward to slot home off the post.
Ten minutes later the Gunners equalised through Alexandre Lacazette. Mesut Ozil passed to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, whose shot was blocked but the rebound fell to the France striker for his third goal of the season. There were brief moments in the second half when Arsenal seemed to show some urgency and it was end-to-end stuff for a while.
Mid-way through the second half, Southampton went ahead when Kieran Tierney fouled, pulling back Ings to concede a penalty. James Ward-Prowse took the spot kick and scored from the rebound after his initial shot was saved. Thereafter, the visitors pressed on hoping the game was about to bring their first victory at Arsenal since 1987. But that wasn’t to be as with practically the last kick of the match, Lacazette leveled the score stabbing in from a cross by Gabriel Martinelli.
Southampton coach, Ralph Hasenhuttl said: “It was a big chance to take a win here. The message is that this is the only way to play, to stay in this league.” He added: “The last weeks were not easy but the team showed they are believing in what we are doing. We didn’t do it today but next week we have to.”
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