Mikel Arteta has revealed what he told his players after the dramatic 3-3 draw with .
The leaders scored two late goals to but still dropped more points in the title race as they look to hold off Manchester City.
Arsenal’s title challenge was crumbling when Southampton raced into a 2-0 lead inside 14 minutes and then went 3-1 up midway through the second half.
But late goals from Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka have kept Arsenal’s title hopes alive, though they will still be frustrated to drop points against a team sitting bottom of the Premier League.
Asked what he told his players in the dressing room, Arteta said: ‘That I love them. Because I know how difficult it was today for them, especially when you make a big mistake like that early on.
‘It’s very tough psychologically but the way we played, the courage we showed under that pressure…
‘Obviously we’re unhappy with the result, We made it very difficult again for ourselves but mistakes are part of football but the way we reacted I love my players more than ever.
‘It is incredible, we were on the way back, we conceded again with a sloppy goal but in the end we should have won the game. We created enough chances and opportunities but it didn’t happen and we are disappointed.
‘You can’t concede three goals in this league, if you concede three like we did in a sloppy way it is very difficult to win matches.
‘This young team reacts in a way that is incredible, when it is against the odds but the chances they created and the spirit they had it was a joy to watch. The message is clear that I love them.
‘We are down and they are more willing than anybody to win it. You can see that spirit and fight in the dressing room but it is clear we have to do defensively things better.’
Arsenal blew 2-0 leads to draw 2-2 in their last two games against Liverpool and West Ham and started nervously tonight, with an Aaron Ramsdale blunder allowing Carlos Alcaraz to score after just 28 seconds.
Theo Walcott doubled Southampton’s lead against his former club but Arsenal sensed a comeback when Gabriel Martinelli pulled one back on 20 minutes.
Arsenal’s task got that bit harder midway through the second-half as Duje Caleta-Car restored Southampton’s two-goal advantage and appeared to seal the three points.
But the Gunners – chasing a first league title since 2004 – showed admirable resolve to earn a point through Odegaard and Saka.
The result leaves Arsenal five points above Manchester City ahead of their trip to the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday. City have two games in hand and a superior goal difference.
On the potential title decider, Arteta added: ‘I cannot wait, these are the games you want to play. When everything is at stake you have to go there to win. The game will be prepared to that, that is for sure.
‘It is the beauty of this sport, you want to be in these positions. We will have an incredible trip to Manchester and we will prepare really well.’
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