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Not even Arsène Wenger attempted to argue against the boos that rang out here on the final whistle from Arsenal’s own fans. A first defeat in 19 games might not sound so alarming but, in the manner of how they were so decisively beaten 2-0 by a Southampton side who had themselves changed eight players, there was considerable reason for concern.
“We had players used to top-level competition; but we didn’t have the urgency,” said Wenger. “The fans never expect too much. It’s down to us to give them what they want. We were not good enough defensively and gave cheap goals away. It was one of those nights where you look like you could play two hours without scoring. We were not incisive enough in the first half. They were sharper than us and fitter.”
For an overall verdict on a performance, Wenger has rarely been more damning and, although he did not go into individual assessments, there were some particular issues. Lucas Pérez started as the main central striker but offered little threat. Carl Jenkinson was partially at fault for both Southampton goals and his second-half substitution appeared to prompt some cheers while Aaron Ramsey, who was given a chance in his preferred No 10 role, was largely negated by Southampton academy product Harrison Reed.
Indeed, it was another excellent night for Southampton’s reputation as the leading development centre for footballers, with first-half goals by Jordy Clasie and Ryan Bertrand clinching their place in a first League Cup semi-final for 30 years. With the Saints fans chanting for Wembley and now looking forward to a two-legged semi-final against Liverpool, it was also another match to cement Claude Puel’s authority following Sunday’s win over Ronald Koeman’s Everton. “It was a great performance,” said Puel.
As for Wenger, if this is to be his last season at Arsenal, the League Cup will remain the one domestic prize always to have eluded him. Only Mohamed Elneny had started from the Arsenal team that had beaten Bournemouth 3-1 on Sunday but the strength in depth that is also evident now in the Southampton squad was highlighted in Puel making only two fewer changes.
And, with Reed sitting in front of the back four and soon linking fluently with Clasie and Steven Davis, Southampton took an immediate hold of possession. They also soon made their dominance count, with Maya Yoshida spraying a wonderful cross-field pass to Bertrand down the left. The former Chelsea full-back then fed Sofiane Boufal, whose attempted shot was blocked by Rob Holding but fell for Clasie on the edge of the penalty area.
The Southampton midfielder barely broke stride before smashing a perfectly timed finish past Emiliano Martínez. Arsenal responded by taking a much firmer grip of possession but they still struggled to create actual clear chances, with Southampton remaining far more incisive when they did seize control of the ball. The pressing of Reed forced a mistake by Jenkinson and Ramsey that allowed Davis to release Boufal. His cross then found Bertrand, who had cut inside to produce a wonderfully precise finish beyond Martínez.
Arsenal were forced to make their first change even before half-time when Elneny came off sick and the arrival of Granit Xhaka did make some of their passing more threatening. Alex Iwobi and Xhaka combined to help create a chance for Ramsey, but he shot weakly over the Southampton crossbar. Xhaka also had a shot from the edge of the penalty area that was well saved by Fraser Forster.
Southampton, though, maintained their threat on the counterattack, with Shane Long forcing a diving save by Martínez and then Boufal, who was making only his third start for the club, beating the Arsenal goalkeeper but dragging his shot narrowly wide.
Wenger responded to his team’s absence of creativity by bringing on Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Ainsley Maitland-Niles but, with the likes of Mesut Özil, Alexis Sánchez, Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott given the night off, the improvement was limited.
Yes, Oxlade-Chamberlain did inject a bit of pace into Arsenal’s attacks but, when he did get a sight of goal on the edge of the penalty area, he shot wastefully over. Francis Coquelin also drilled an effort wide while Arsenal appealed for a penalty when Ramsey went down under a challenge from Cuco Martina. The best chances, however, continued to fall to Southampton, with both Long and Davis missing clear opportunities to add a further shine to what was already a famous victory.
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