After the 2-0 defeat to Southampton in the EFL Cup semi-final, Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger admitted that his team deserved to be booed off the pitch.
The Saints knocked out Arsenal to reach the last four of the competition for the very first time in over 30 years. Southampton totally dominated the Gunners side, which had ten changes to the team that started in their last game against Bournemouth in the Premier League.
Also Read: EFL Cup 2016/17: Arsenal 0-2 Southampton - 5 Talking Points
Arsenal’s Egyptian midfielder Mohamed Elneny was the only survivor to play from the previous game but was taken off at half-time due to a stomach bug.
The Gunners were booed off at the Emirates at half time after their dismal first half performance, but Wenger insisted that they have to live with it.
“The fans never expect too much. It’s down to us to give them what they want. It is a fact. We have to live with that,” said Wenger about the booing.
The French manager stated that his side were weak in defence and gave away easy goals in the first half, but insisted that it was just one of those nights where his team lacked urgency and even if they had played two hours they wouldn’t be able to score.
"We had a disappointing performance, particularly in the first half. I think we were not good enough defensively and gave cheap goals away.
"It was better in the second, but it was one of those nights where you look like you could play two hours without scoring a goal. We didn't have enough urgency in the first half and were weak in some departments.
"We paid for that. We were not incisive enough in the first half especially. They played deeper in the second half and were sharper than us and fitter."
Wenger urged Puel to win the cup after the match
Claude Puel revealed that Arsene Wenger had some encouraging words for him after the end of the game asking him to “to go on and win this cup, get to the final.” The Southampton manager played under Wenger during his days at Monaco.
"It was a great performance because this game was a different profile. We were clinical in the first half, with two goals from two chances. I like this," added Puel.
Goals from Ryan Bertrand and Jordy Clasie set up a Southampton victory and the Saints will now play the semi-final against Liverpool, who beat Leeds United on Wednesday.
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