At a Glance:
- Arsenal were knocked out of the FA Cup by Southampton on Saturday night.
- The Gunners fielded a makeshift team against the Saints, and paid the price.
- Here’s how each player rated on the night.
Arsenal were knocked out of the FA Cup by Championship side Southampton on Saturday night, with Mikel Arteta’s side’s 2-1 defeat on the south coast ending their hopes of a treble.
After a dominant opening half an hour, the Gunners fell behind when Ben White misjudged the flight of a cross, and Ross Stewart pounced on this mistake to thump past Kepa Arrizabalaga. The goal shook a makeshift Arsenal side, who looked vulnerable to long Saints balls throughout the match.
The home team almost doubled their lead on the hour mark when Leo Scienza’s curled effort clipped the bar. Tonda Eckert’s side rued that missed opportunity just eight minutes later when Viktor Gyokeres tapped home from a Kai Havertz cut-back.
However, the south coast outfit responded again when Shea Charles slotted beyond Kepa to send the St. Mary’s crowd into raptures.
Match Highlights
Arsenal Player Ratings vs Southampton
Kepa Arrizabalaga – 6/10
Had very little to do on the night but was more accomplished in his distribution than at Wembley.
Ben White – 4/10
Overlapped nicely on occasion, although his final ball was somewhat disappointing. He made a poor error on Ross Stewart’s goal by misjudging the flight of the ball.
Cristhian Mosquera – 5/10
Struggled a little bit with Southampton’s direct balls.
Gabriel Magalhaes – 5/10
He made some excellent blocks, but he misjudged several long Southampton balls. He did, however, play an excellent penetrative pass in the lead up to the equalise.
Myles Lewis-Skelly – 6/10
Wasn’t able to exert as much influence on the ball as he’d have liked.
Christian Norgaard – 6/10
Was competent in possession, but looked exposed when Southampton broke in transition.
Martin Odegaard – 7/10
Was at the heart of everything Arsenal did going forward, although he missed a glaring chance to open the scoring by fluffing his lines early on.
Kai Havertz – 4/10
A quiet display from the German, who found it difficult to get into the game. That said, he made a telling contribution with his pinpoint cut-back for Gyokeres for the equaliser.
Max Dowman – 7/10
Probably more effective in a central role, although he was still instrumental in most of Arsenal’s attacks. His relentless desire to run at Southampton made him a constant threat, although this faded as he tired in the second half.
Gabriel Jesus – 3/10
Not very involved and lacked sharpness every time he received the ball.
Gabriel Martinelli – 5/10
While he looked lively whenever he was on the ball, he didn’t have nearly as many touches as he should’ve.
Subs
Viktor Gyokeres – 7/10
Was introduced to provide Arsenal with the presence in the box that Jesus couldn’t, and he did so effectively.
Noni Madueke – 6/10
As direct as ever, although it didn’t lead to much.
Riccardo Calafiori – 5/10
Wasn’t heavily involved.
William Saliba – N/A
Not on long enough to rate.
Martin Zubimendi – N/A
Not on long enough to rate.
Man of the Match – N/A
While the likes of Max Dowman and Martin Odegaard impressed in glimpses, not one Arsenal player really deserves to walk away with plaudits after a performance of this nature.
