Emery is on the edge after latest limp display
THINGS need to improve, Arsenal chiefs told a meeting of the club’s staff during the international break.
Perhaps Unai Emery and his players did not get the message because against Southampton they arguably got even worse.
Alexandre Lacazette rescued a dramatic point with a 96th-minute equaliser, his second of the game, but that was fooling nobody.
The deafening chorus of boos at the full-time whistle, lack of any celebration from Arsenal after the Frenchman scored and Ralph Hasenhuttl’s frustration that his Southampton side were not leaving as deserved victors told the real story.
This was yet another major setback, both the result and nature of their latest deeply-worrying performance. Arsenal were outwitted, out-fought and outperformed for most of the 97 minutes.
Arsenal’s unprecedented statement of disappointment about the state of play after their defeat to Leicester was a pointed warning at best for Emery and dreaded vote of confidence at worst.
Now that sacking season is well and truly here, following events up the road at rivals Tottenham, this was just what Emery did not need — a sixth game without a win to leave Arsenal seventh.
He said: ‘We’re disappointed, frustrated and also I understand the supporters. We didn’t deserve more today. We lost a very good opportunity to connect with our supporters. [The lack of celebrations after equaliser] is an example of how the players felt. They felt it was not enough, our performance, to achieve the victory.
‘We can be disappointed and the fans also angry for that result.’
Southampton were excellent for large parts here, a far cry from the side who collapsed in their historic 9-0 humiliation against Leicester. Only their finishing at the death cost them a first league win at Arsenal since 1987. They should have been out of sight well before Lacazette struck again.
Hasenhuttl said: ‘After that [ending] you have to force the positive feeling. It is not easy.
‘The last weeks were not easy for anybody but the team showed they are believing in what we are doing. With the third and fourth goal it is gone. We didn’t do it today but next week we have to.’
After eight minutes they were daring to believe in a first league win at Arsenal in 25 attempts. And when Danny Ings’ opener came it was little surprise.
Arsenal started sloppily, five different players either needlessly conceding possession or misjudging the ball inside the first five minutes. Three minutes later Calum Chambers blocked Nathan Redmond, Arsenal’s defence were looking elsewhere and Ryan Bertrand took the free quickly to put Ings through and he whipped his eighth goal of the season past Bernd Leno off his near post. It was deserved reward for their efforts.
The natives in a less-than-full Emirates were getting restless, not helped by Arsenal’s failure to trouble Alex McCarthy and Ings giving the hosts another scare when he fired over first time after Michael Obafemi had got in down Arsenal’s wide-open left channel to cross. Emery gesticulated furiously at his players in a bid to pull them into position.
What he really needed was a goal to calm everything down inside an increasingly mutinous Emirates. Lacazette delivered, volleying past Jan Bednarek on the line after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s effort was blocked by Bertrand.
Emery abandoned his backthree formation at the break, bringing on Pepe for Chambers, though they continued to look uncertain defensively. Leno had to dive full stretch to prevent a Lucas Torreira own goal minutes into the half.
That save was bettered at the other end by McCarthy, who stuck out a boot to foil an attempt by Aubameyang.
A see-saw period followed. Pepe blew an Arsenal counter by delaying his pass to Ozil, Redmond forced Leno into a spectacular tip over, Pepe volleyed over before Cedric Soares let Arsenal off the hook, over-hitting a simple square pass to Obafemi after robbing the dallying Sokratis.
Five minutes later Southampton earned another chance when Kieran Tierney pulled back Ings to concede a penalty.
The now customary VAR check followed as the officials looked for an offside. Eventually the penalty was given and WardProwse fired in the rebound after his initial effort was blocked.
And Southampton seemed set to extend their lead.
Stuart Armstrong fired wide, Moussa Djenepo had an effort cleared off the line before somehow firing wide and fellow-sub Sofiane Boufal also lost his footing at the crucial moment.
Just how costly all those misses were became clear deep into injury-time when Gabriel Martinelli crossed for Lacazette to stab in.