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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta admitted it as \u201cvery strange\u201d that his team could not deal with Southampton\u2019s directness following their shock exit from the FA Cup. <\/strong><\/p>\n The Gunners struggled to break down the Championship side at St. Mary\u2019s Stadium after going behind to Ross Stewart\u2019s first-half opener.<\/p>\n Arteta brought Viktor Gyokeres on to amend that, which he did in the 68th minute when he tapped in from close range to equalise.<\/p>\n But it was the Saints who came out on top after Shea Charles finished off a sweeping team move with a tidy finish late on, booking their place in the semi-finals of the cup.<\/p>\n An unforgettable moment for @SouthamptonFC<\/a> 😍<\/p>\n Shea Charles\u2019 late winner is the @emirates<\/a> Moment of the Round! 👏 pic.twitter.com\/edeksPbChC<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) April 4, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n \u201cWe have to congratulate Southampton, they are going to Wembley and we are not,\u201d Arteta told BBC Sport after the final whistle.<\/p>\n \u201cThe team had some very good moments. We didn\u2019t capitalise on those moments, and the way we conceded the goals is not at the level we have shown.<\/p>\n \u201cThat is the reason we have lost the game.\u201d<\/p>\n When asked if Southampton\u2019s direct approach caught Arsenal by surprise, he simply responded with \u201cno\u201d, but struggled to find an explanation for his side\u2019s subpar performance.<\/p>\n \u201cWe didn\u2019t manage the long balls well enough, which is something very strange,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the first half, we just let the ball through us and they were one against one.<\/p>\n \u201cThe way we concede the second goal was very similar.<\/p>\n \u201cVery difficult to explain. But it is all credit to them.\u201d<\/p>\n Read \u2013\u00a0Jesus \u2018very confident\u2019 Arsenal will win Premier League title<\/strong><\/p>\n Worryingly for the north London outfit, Gabriel Magalh\u00e3es was replaced by William Saliba in the second half after going down off the ball clutching his knee.<\/p>\n \u201cHe couldn\u2019t continue, so we are going to have to assess him and see if he gets better soon,\u201d Arteta explained.<\/p>\n After 11 of his senior players withdrew from national team duty over the international break, Arteta had to field a rotated lineup. Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Leandro Trossard, Mikel Merino, Eberechi Eze and Piero Hincapie were left out of the matchday squad due to injury.<\/p>\n \u201cI hope that we can recover some of the players that we are missing. As quick as we do that, the stronger we are going to be.\u201d<\/p>\n Read \u2013\u00a0Gabriel Jesus reveals his advice for Rice after Arsenal transfer<\/strong><\/p>\n See Also \u2013 The four nations going to their first ever World Cup this year<\/strong><\/p>\n Facebook<\/a> | Instagram<\/a> | Twitter<\/a> | YouTube<\/a> | TikTok<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
Arsenal treble dream over after \u2018very strange\u2019 Southampton defeat<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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