This is not Basketball, we need goals not shots - Arteta rips into Arsenal stars after Southampton loss

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has expressed his disappointment after his side lost to Southampton in the English Premier League on Saturday evening.

The Gunners fell to a 1-0 defeat at St Mary's Stadium courtesy of Jan Bednarek's 44th-minute goal.

Arteta's side lost the chance to gain a foothold in the race for the Top 4 after Tottenham Hotspur suffered a last-gasp 1-0 to Brighton earlier in the day. 

During his post-match press conference, Arteta simply described the opportunity Arsenal missed to stake a spot for a Champions League finish as 'huge.'

The Arsenal manager noted that despite the Gunners' domination and shots, goals are what matters in football as against in Basketball. 

Arteta said: “It’s very disappointing and difficult to explain, but this is what makes this sport different because again, in basketball, you have 25 shots and the opponent has one, you win 10 out of 10.

"If somebody didn't know the score and is watching the game and asks who won the game, they will say that Arsenal won it comfortably. But it's not the case"

Arsenal registered a total of 23 shots against Southampton with only six (6) on target, 12 off target, and five (5) blocked. 

In contrast, Southampton scored with one of their three (3) shots on target while recording only nine (9) shots throughout the match.

Arteta admitted that his side did not show the required quality to defeat the Saints, pointing to the fact that Arsenal do not have a good recent record at the St. Mary's Stadium.

"I can’t remember a game that Arsenal have played in this stadium when they have created and dominated the game more and better," Arteta said.

"We didn’t have enough quality and capacity to break them down when we had the numbers to do that."

Arsenal are now down to sixth on the Premier League table after Cristiano Ronaldo inspired Manchester United to a 3-2 victory over Norwich City at Old Trafford.

The Gunners have failed to pick up any points from their last three games, losing to Crystal Palace (A, 3-0), Brighton (H, 2-1), and now Southampton (A, 1-0).