Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus has blamed a lack of finishing as the reason behind the Gunners’ shock 1-1 result against Southampton, Mikel Arteta’s first of the season.
Speaking to Arsenal’s official website, the £45m signing from Manchester City pinned the surprising result on poor performances from the front line at St. Mary’s, with Granit Xhaka the scorer on the day for Mikel Arteta’s side as Jesus and Bukayo Saka missed golden chances to find the back of the net.
The north London side remains top of the Premier League table by two points after Manchester City’s 3-1 win against Brighton & Hove Albion this weekend. Yet many Arsenal fans will feel that this Sunday’s draw against Southampton was a missed opportunity.
Arsenal dominated the opening half before fatigue caught up, allowing Southampton to fight back and earn a draw in the end. And according to Jesus, a lack of quality in the final third and poor finishing cost the Gunners all three points on a day where a win looked certain for the Gunners.
Jesus said on Arsenal’s result against Southampton: “There’s no excuses. We have some days to prepare, to work on what we have to do on the pitch. Obviously, there are some players who need more time to recover, but as I said, it’s all about focusing on the pitch.”
The Brazilian international added: “We are creating chances, like in the last game (against PSV Eindhoven). But the balls aren’t going in the net, and today that happened again. Now is the time to realise, breathe and try to come back.”
Jesus right to slam Arsenal finishing after Southampton result
Xhaka’s finish might have almost ripped the net off the Southampton goal, but there’s no denying that Arsenal were far from their usual best this after against the Saints, and Jesus is right to critique Arsenal for the end result down on the English south coast.
Although Southampton have historically been quite the bogey team for Arsenal, the north London side had chances to put the game to bed on numerous occasions this Sunday, and dropping the two points for the win could come back to haunt Arteta come the end of the campaign.
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