Southampton deserve a lot of praise for knocking Arsenal out of the FA Cup.
Mikel Arteta’s side had dominant spells in the game, especially through Max Dowman, but they just couldn’t convert the chances they created.
Southampton, on the other hand, scored twice when it mattered, and they deservedly won the game in the end.
Saints boss Tonda Eckert got his tactics spot on, and that includes his side’s decision after winning the toss.
Who was the worst performer for Arsenal against Southampton?
Southampton boss Tonda Eckert reveals toss decision that helped them beat Arsenal
It was a windy night at St Mary’s when Arsenal took on Southampton in the quarter-final of the FA Cup.
Arteta refused to use that as an excuse after the game, but the Saints clearly used the weather conditions to their advantage.
Arsenal struggled with the hosts’ long balls early in the game.
Even Gabriel Magalhaes, who is arguably the best defender in the world, misjudged a header, while Ben White did the same in an error that led to the opening goal.
After the game, Southampton boss Tonda Eckert was asked about this, and he hinted that his side took advantage of the weather conditions right from the toss.
The Saints won the coin flip and chose to switch sides before the start of the first half.
“We won the toss, and we changed sides. I think that says enough,” he said in his post-match interview on TNT Sports.
“It’s a good team. You can throw some problems at them, and they always have a solution. They are so well managed. They are so tough to come up against.”
16-year-old Max Dowman was Arsenal’s best player vs Southampton. Is that good news or should the other players be embarrassed?
Arsenal can still take two positives despite the defeat against Southampton
Most Arsenal players will need to take a long, hard look at themselves for their performance against Southampton on Saturday.
However, there are a couple of positives.
The obvious one is the brilliance of Dowman, who, despite being 16 years old, was the most dangerous player on the pitch.
Secondly, Viktor Gyokeres seemed like a man on a mission when he came on, and his movement for his goal is exactly what Arsenal need from him. It was a fine finish too.
It’s tough to take positives from a defeat to a Championship side, but Arsenal cannot dwell on their loss too much. They need to pick themselves up and go again.
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