Mikel Arteta admitted his side were below the required level as [Southampton defied the odds to beat Arsenal 2-1](https://arseblog.news/2026/04/report-southampton-2-1-arsenal-inc-goals/) and book a place in the FA Cup semi-final.
Missing key players and looking leggy after the international break, the Gunners were unsettled by the hosts’ direct approach and failed to make the most of the spells when they had control of the game.
Ben White misjudged the flight of the ball to allow Ross Stewart to open the scoring on 35 minutes, and while Viktor Gyokeres came off the bench to equalise, Southampton restored their lead with five minutes remaining through a well-taken finish from Shea Charles.
Having lost the League Cup final last time out, Arsenal’s hopes of silverware now rest on the Premier League and Champions League. To stay in the hunt, they will need to improve on the pitch and find a way to channel the frustration of supporters who fear another season may be slipping away.
“First of all, I have to congratulate Southampton. They are at Wembley, we are not,” Arteta told BBC Sport.
“The team had some very good moments. We didn’t capitalise on those moments. And the way we conceded the goals, obviously, is not at the level that we have shown. And that’s the reason we have lost the game.”
Clearly disappointed by the nature of the defeat, Arteta wasn’t in the mood to dissect the performance in depth. Pushed on why his players weren’t up to their usual standards, he offered:
“Because we didn’t manage the long balls well enough, which is something very strange.
“The first half, we just let the ball through us and they are one against one. The way we conceded the second goal, it was very similar. Very difficult to explain, but it happened. Credit to them.”
Understandably, despite being pressed, he wouldn’t expand on the reaction of his players in the dressing room, but did add:
“In the season, you have to go through periods and some of them are difficult for whatever reasons. And now we have two very disappointing results and we need to pick ourselves up. Now it’s time to show what we are made of. And the way to talk about that is on the pitch, not here.”
As for the inevitable blowback the performance will bring, he said: “It’s always been like this from the beginning of the season, when your expectations of your team are so high.
That’s what you have to expect, that’s why you have to live with in a natural way. And nobody’s going to set the standards and the demands higher than us, that’s for sure.”
Arsenal don’t have long to lick their wounds. They’ll spend tomorrow preparing for a trip to Portugal before taking on Sporting Lisbon on Tuesday.