Arsenal: Defeat to Southampton left players feeling ‘really down’, Mikel Arteta says

Mikel Arteta admitted Arsenal’s players were dejected after their quest for Champions League qualification suffered a further setback with a damaging a 1-0 Premier League defeat at Southampton.

Tottenham’s shock home loss to Brighton in Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off offered the Gunners the chance to move level on points with their fourth-placed north London rivals.

But Arteta’s men blew a major opportunity to capitalise at St Mary’s as Jan Bednarek’s strike on the stroke of half-time condemned them to a fourth defeat from five games.

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