"The ref's breath had a faint whiff of whiskey" "Tired of playing against 12" - Arsenal fans blame the same person after frustrating 1-1 draw against Southampton
Some Arsenal fans have blamed referee Robert Jones after their 1-1 draw against Southampton in the Premier League today (October 23). The Emirates faithful felt that the referee gave multiple calls that went against them throughout the match.
There were multiple challenges on Gabriel Jesus, which were arguably not given by Jones at the St. Mary's Stadium. He also booked Bukayo Saka in the first half for a blatant dive.
There were other dicey challenges from the Saints on the likes of Kieran Tierney that went in favor of Southampton as well.
Arsenal fans have shared their frustration on Twitter regarding the same. Some even asked manager Mikel Arteta to highlight this in post-match interviews. Meanwhile, some other fans have asked for Jones to be banned from refereeing their games.
Here are some of their reactions after the Gunners were held at Southampton:
@Arsenal During the game, the refs breath had a faint whiff of whiskey. Just saying
@Arsenal Hope arteta takes a fine and calls this ref out. We didn’t do enough but tired of playing against 12.
@Arsenal Ban Robert Jones from our games
@Arsenal Don't know what was worse. Robert Jones or our finishing.
@Arsenal Robbery
Southampton end Arsenal's eight-match winning run
The Gunners had won 13 out of their 14 matches in all competitions before facing Southampton, with eight wins coming in a row. Their only blemish of the season was a 3-1 defeat at Manchester United on September 4.
However, the Saints were helped by their gritty defense and some poor finishing from Arsenal as they shared the points today.
Mikel Arteta's side opened the scoring in the 11th minute via Granit Xhaka, who finished emphatically from a Ben White cross.
The first half ended with the Gunners leading 1-0 and it looked like another match where they would go on to win comfortably.
However, Southampton had other plans who did well in the second half and scored in the 65th minute. Stuart Armstrong got on the end of a lovely pass by Mohamed Elyounoussi after a quick Saints counter.
Gunners captain Martin Odegaard did put the ball in the back of the net in minute 79 but it was ruled out as the ball went out of play during the build-up.
Both sides had three shots each on target in the game but couldn't find the finishing touch as the match ended 1-1.
Arsenal are still at the top of the table, two points above second-placed Manchester City. Southampton, meanwhile, are 15th.
The Gunners will next face PSV Eindhoven away in the UEFA Europa League on October 27.