Arteta calls for Arsenal bounce-back following stunning FA Cup upset at Southampton

Arsenal's Spanish manager Mikel Arteta was on hand to witness his team's disappointing 2-1 defeat against second-tier Southampton in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Saturday, a loss that prompted him to urge his players to "show what we are made of".

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Arteta's side struggled to find their rhythm, falling behind to Ross Stewart's first-half goal at St Mary's Stadium, before Viktor Gyokeres came off the bench to net the equaliser in the second half, only for Shea Charles to steer in the winner for Southampton in the 85th minute.

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Arsenal's lacklustre performance was exacerbated by the absence of injured England stars Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka, as well as a knee injury to Brazil defender Gabriel Magalhaes, who limped off during the match, leaving Arteta to lament his team's sloppy defending.

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Arteta admitted that conceding the first goal in an "unusual way" and failing to manage long balls effectively had cost his team dearly, saying "We didn't manage the long balls well enough, we just let the ball through us, it's difficult to explain but credit to them".

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Arsenal's dominance in and around the box was not enough to capitalize on their chances, with Arteta noting that "We had so much dominance in and around the box, we had two massive chances and needed to capitalize on that, but if you make defending errors like we made today, it's very difficult to be in the semi-final".

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The defeat marked a significant blow to Arsenal's hopes of a first FA Cup triumph since 2020, and their second major setback in recent weeks, following a 2-0 defeat against Manchester City in the League Cup final, leaving Arteta to urge his team to adapt to difficult situations and "show what we are made of".

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The loss was Arsenal's fifth defeat of the season, and their first successive defeats in all competitions this term, with Arteta acknowledging that "In the season you have to go through periods, some of them are difficult for whatever reason, now we have two very disappointing results and we have to pick ourselves up".

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Arsenal's high expectations, with a nine-point lead in the Premier League title race, mean that the team is under pressure to perform, with Arteta saying "It's always been like this from the beginning of the season, when the expectations on your team are so high, nobody is going to set the demands and standards higher than us, that's for sure".

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Southampton's victory, which came 50 years after they stunned Manchester United in the FA Cup final, was a memorable one for the second-tier side, who commemorated the occasion by wearing a yellow and blue kit against Arsenal, with boss Tonda Eckert downplaying the significance of the similarity.

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Eckert instead focused on the challenge posed by Arsenal, saying "We put on a good shift today, it was a challenge, we knew it was going to be a tough game, the second half always has the chance to shift and we reacted quite well", as his team looks to build on their success with a crucial clash looming at Wrexham on Tuesday.

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The Saints are back in the semi-finals at Wembley for the first time since 2021, and are also chasing a place in the Championship play-offs, with Eckert saying "Belief is always there, it's not been a problem, the reality is that the game is close, it's going to be nice to celebrate today but we open up Wrexham and Championship football tomorrow".