"We've got to take this and go" - Southampton star makes honest admission after Arsenal draw
Southampton goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu opened up on their thrilling 3-3 draw away against Arsenal in the Premier League on Friday, April 21.
Southampton, who sit at the bottom of the table, faced the league leaders at the Emirates on Friday. In a shocking turn of events though, the Saints found themselves 3-1 up with less than five minutes of normal time to go in the game. However, Arsenal scored two goals via Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka to salvage a draw.
Speaking after the game, Bazunu pointed out the disappointment of not holding on to the lead in the end but acknowledged his side's overall performance. He said (via Tribal Football):
“I think the immediate sense is disappointment. To be two goals up with only eight, 10 minutes to go and to concede two goals is really disappointing, but we've got to take the positives from it."
He added:
“You know, coming here away to the top team in the league and scoring three goals and putting in a really strong performance is something we've got to take positives from. It's obvious from the performance the belief and the spirit we have as a team and the togetherness and if we continue to bring that fighting spirit into the last few games that we'll get more points."
Bazunu again pointed out the disappointment of the draw against Arsenal but stressed that they now need to move on to the next game:
“Immediate feeling is obviously disappointment with only coming away with one instead of three points, but the manager has spoken to us and told us how well we've done to come here and score three goals and put a positive spin on it and we've got to take this and go into Thursday."
Southampton are three points behind 17th-placed Everton, who have a game in hand. They will next host Bournemouth on Thursday, April 27.
Arsenal suffer yet another disappointment in the Premier League title race
Arsenal have now dropped points in their previous three games, which is a big blow to their Premier League title hopes. They drew 2-2 against Liverpool and West Ham United after leading both games 2-0.
They were expected to bounce back against bottom-placed Southampton but gifted the visitors a goal in the first minute. Aaron Ramsdale passed it straight to Carlos Alcaraz, who made no mistake and finished neatly.
Former Arsenal man Theo Walcott then doubled Southampton's lead in the 14th minute. Gabriel Martinelli pulled one back for the Gunners in the 20th minute but Duje Caleta-Car restored the two-goal cushion for the Saints in the 66th minute.
Odegaard and Saka scored late in the game to make it 3-3. Arsenal put immense pressure on Southampton but the visitors managed to hold on as the game ended in a draw.
The Gunners now hold a five-point lead over Manchester City atop the league table, having played two more games. The two sides face each other at the Etihad on April 26.