Fabio Vieira failed to impress. (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images)
2. Fabio Vieira fails to take his chance
Coming in for Xhaka, who was ill, it was seen by many as Vieira’s chance to really stake a claim in this Arsenal team. Since his signing from FC Porto, the midfielder has shown glimpses of his talent, but it has never been more than that.
Against Southampton, Vieira had the opportunity to put his best foot forward…he didn’t. He struggled to get on the ball, had virtually no impact on the game, and was taken off for Trossard 10 minutes into the second half.
It was a wasted chance for the midfielder when the lights were at their brightest.
Continued on the next slide…
pic.twitter.com/GIWJkVPW5l
<p>— Arsenal (@Arsenal) <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/04/22/arsenal-southampton-3-talking-points-gunners-drop-points/2/"https://twitter.com/Arsenal/status/1649519514189479937?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>April 21, 2023</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>Martin Odegaard pulled one back for his team after a neat one-two with Ben White on the edge of the area and the captain curled in his shot from range.</p>
<p>Arsenal brought themselves level in the 90th minute as Bukayo Saka was on the end of a parried shot from Reiss Nelson as the Emirates erupted.</p>
<h2>Arsenal 3-3 Southampton: 3 talking points as Gunners drop points again</h2>
<p>The Gunners couldn’t find a winner as they again had to settle for a point. The game provided plenty of talking points, here they are.</p>
<h2>1. Arsenal gift title advantage to Manchester City</h2>
<p>After back-to-back draws, Arsenal knew that anything other than a win was unacceptable, and they picked the worst time to have one of their worst performances of the season.</p>
<p>With the draw to bottom-placed Southampton, Arsenal have put City into the driving seat for the league title.</p>
<p>All of the hard work throughout the season was thrown away in three games. It’s a tough pill to swallow.</p>
<p><em>Continued on the next slide…</em></p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/04/22/arsenal-southampton-3-talking-points-gunners-drop-points/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Talking Point #2 </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-133830 size-full" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/04/22/arsenal-southampton-3-talking-points-gunners-drop-points/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2258,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1474806140.jpeg" alt="" width="3200" height="2258" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1474806140.jpeg 3200w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1474806140-768x542.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Fabio Vieira failed to impress. (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>2. Fabio Vieira fails to take his chance</h2>
<p>Coming in for Xhaka, who was ill, it was seen by many as Vieira’s chance to really stake a claim in this Arsenal team. Since his signing from FC Porto, the midfielder has shown glimpses of his talent, but it has never been more than that.</p>
<p>Against Southampton, Vieira had the opportunity to put his best foot forward…he didn’t. He struggled to get on the ball, had virtually no impact on the game, and was taken off for Trossard 10 minutes into the second half.</p>
<div class="embed ">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">After that first half from <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/04/22/arsenal-southampton-3-talking-points-gunners-drop-points/2/"https://twitter.com/hashtag/Arsenal?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>#Arsenal</a>, I’d love to know what Smith Rowe is doing in training. Apart from his cross to Gabriel, Fabio Vieira has hidden. Change needed at half time. <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/04/22/arsenal-southampton-3-talking-points-gunners-drop-points/2/"https://twitter.com/hashtag/ARSSOU?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>#ARSSOU</a> <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/04/22/arsenal-southampton-3-talking-points-gunners-drop-points/2/"https://t.co/ytA1ioRM35">pic.twitter.com/ytA1ioRM35
<p>— Adam Keys (@adamkeys_) <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/04/22/arsenal-southampton-3-talking-points-gunners-drop-points/2/"https://twitter.com/adamkeys_/status/1649502188010459140?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>April 21, 2023</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>It was a wasted chance for the midfielder when the lights were at their brightest.</p>
<p><em>Continued on the next slide…</em></p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/04/22/arsenal-southampton-3-talking-points-gunners-drop-points/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Talking Point #3 </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_133831" class="wp-caption aligncenter">
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-133831 size-full" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/04/22/arsenal-southampton-3-talking-points-gunners-drop-points/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1483934856.jpeg" alt="" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1483934856.jpeg 3200w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1483934856-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Southampton were the latest side to take points off the Gunners. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>3. Arsenal dropping points against lowly ranked teams potentially costs them the title</h2>
<p>Arsenal have faced West Ham and Southampton (teams fighting against relegation) in the last two weeks and have one point to show for it. When a team has ambitions of lifting the league title, that simply can’t happen.</p>
<p>The Gunners were 2-0 up and cruising against the Hammers before surrendering the lead, and against Southampton, Arsenal was never really at it. The late flurry gave them hope, but the hosts had to settle for a point.</p>
<div class="embed ">
<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="4FQUjLeOwB"><p><a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/04/22/arsenal-southampton-3-talking-points-gunners-drop-points/2/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/04/21/arsenal-southampton-player-ratings-city-title-advantage/">Arsenal 3-3 Southampton: Player ratings as Gunners hand City title Aavantage</a></p></blockquote>
<p><iframe class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" style="position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/04/22/arsenal-southampton-3-talking-points-gunners-drop-points/2/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/04/21/arsenal-southampton-player-ratings-city-title-advantage/embed/#?secret=4FQUjLeOwB" data-secret="4FQUjLeOwB" width="500" height="282" title="“Arsenal 3-3 Southampton: Player ratings as Gunners hand City title Aavantage” — Pain in the Arsenal" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p></div>
<p>In a time when they needed to heap the pressure on City, Arsenal has wilted and for all intents and purposes, “gifted” City the league title. Football is brutal sometimes.</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">
