“Yeah, big thank you to the fans for travelling with us and they are always behind us so we need to say thank you to them and we need them,” Sambi Lokonga told reporters after the game.

“They need to stay behind us because we will turn this [around].

“We need to believe, I think that’s the first thing. We need to stick together. We’ve been through this so we can do it again.

Arsenal's Spanish manager Mikel Arteta gestures on the touchline during the English Premier League football match between Southampton and Arsenal at St Mary's Stadium in Southampton, southern England on April 16, 2022. (Photo by DANIEL LEAL/AFP via Getty Images)
Arsenal’s Spanish manager Mikel Arteta gestures on the touchline during the English Premier League football match between Southampton and Arsenal at St Mary’s Stadium in Southampton, southern England on April 16, 2022. (Photo by DANIEL LEAL/AFP via Getty Images)

“We know the plan, we know what we have to do, of course, [some of] the main players are missing but yeah, we need to give our best so we don’t feel they’re missing.

“It’s a big disappointment. I think everybody in the dressing room knows that it’s not enough for the moment but we need to stick together and get back to winning ways.

“I think we had the chances to score but the keeper played well. Today the reality is that we lost so we cannot talk too much about it.”

Arsenal travel to Chelsea on Wednesday night to face a side that put six past Saturday’s opponents and who have conceded just 23 goals all season.

Arsenal, meanwhile, have scored two goals in their last five games from 73 shots and collected just three points.