Tuesday, 23rd September, 2014
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has bemoaned his side's 2-1 defeat in the League Cup at home against Southampton this evening, but refused to pin the blame on the players.
The Gunners took the lead when Alexis Sanchez struck a sublime free kick after just 14 minutes, giving Wenger's men the perfect start.
However Southampton, who fielded a strong side at the Emirates Stadium, needed just six minutes to strike back when Dusan Tadic fired home a penalty in the 20th minute following a foul on Saido Mane.
Nathaniel Clyne then hit a superb strike for the Saints in the 40th minute to put them ahead – and Arsenal had no reply, unable to level in the remaining 50 minutes.
For Wenger, Arsenal were architects of their own downfall, with the Frenchman saying via his club's feed: "It's disappointing because we had a good start, but we made big errors when we had the ball. We gave a lot but it's frustrating.
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"You have to give credit to Southampton. They are a good side and they played very well tonight."
Wenger though is not willing to pin the blame for the League Cup exit on his players, believing they gave their all.
"I cannot fault the attitude. The reason we lost is because of our opponent's performance. It is not the players' fault."
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