Arsenal are still top of the league although they dropped points at a resilient Southampton side on Sunday. After starting brightly, the Gunners lost steam in the second half where they struggled mightily. But what are the 3 factors that made the high flying Gunners to share spoils at the St Mary's stadium?Read on.
1) Blatant Penalty Was Not Given In Their Favor
Even if Arsenal had won the match,fans would still talk about an incidence where Jesus was the last man racing at goal only for a Southampton defender to put his arms all over him. It was a blatant penalty and a send off. How the center referee missed it and worst of all VAR failure to review it is beyond imagination. Arsenal by all means had to be awarded a penalty at least. Should they have been awarded a penalty, the Gunners could have gone 2-0 up and most likely they would have won the match. That was a typical day light robbery at the St Mary's stadium.
2) Fatigue
We all know Arsenal play a high intensity game. That title winning form has largely been due to their pressing game. During the first half at Southampton,the Gunners started the match energetically as has always been the case. They took a deserved lead through Granit Xhaka.At that point, many thought they would go on and win comfortably as they had Southampton pinned to their half. However, in the second half, the Gunners lost steam due to evident fatigue. They misplaced easy passes and lacked energy to work while not in possession. The substitutions Arteta made did not affect the game in any way. Much has been said about Arteta's thin squad that cannot sustain a title challenge,the match yesterday proved it.They really need to bolster in January if they are to challenge for the title.
3) Missed Chances
We can stay here all the day long talking about poor refereeing decisions made but the fact remains Arsenal were guilty of not taking their chances to bolster their 1-0 lead. For all the good team work Jesus is doing,he needs to be clinical. Against Southampton,he raced clear at goal and for me he should have put away that chance to make it 2-0.Odegaard fired wide when he was in a great position. Saka also had a glorious chance in the first half but could not convert it. Had the Gunners converted their chances, they could have continued their winning streak.
Do you think those 3 reasons made Arsenal lose points at Southampton?What are your thoughts?Follow my channel for the best opinions about your favorite premier league club.
Content created and supplied by: Emma (via Opera News )
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