Arsenal have lost out on another trophy after a shock 2-1 defeat away to Southampton in the FA Cup quarter-finals.
Shea Charles came off the bench to score the decisive goal with only five minutes to play at St Mary's on Saturday night.
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| Charles has sent Southampton into the FA Cup semi-finalsCredit: Getty |
Arsenal looked to be heading for extra time when Viktor Gyokeres levelled after Ross Stewart opened the scoring for Southampton.
But the Gunners, who lost to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final less than two weeks ago, are now out of the FA Cup.
It's a significant moment in the season run-in, and comes just weeks after Arsenal were eyeing up a historic quadruple.
They remain top of the Premier League and will play in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
However, the pressure will really begin to kick in when they navigate the final weeks of the campaign.
"Southampton have dumped out the Premier League leaders," said Alex Crook on talkSPORT. "The treble dream is over."
Former Gunner Perry Groves added: "Southampton thoroughly deserved it, both goals they scored were top quality."
"(Taylor) Harwood-Bellis was perfect, every Southampton player to a man did their job to perfection," he also said.
Arsenal were dealt a blow before the full-time whistle as Gabriel was substituted with an injury..
He was seen sitting on the bench with ice on his leg, with Mikel Arteta and co. now set for an anxious wait to see how bad the knock is.
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| Arsenal have lost out on two pieces of silverware in two weeksCredit: Getty |
Is this when it comes crashing down?
Arsenal have been the most impressive side in the Premier League this season and looked strong when competing on all fronts.
However, as seen in recent years, the final weeks of the season have been too much to handle - and history could be repeating itself.
Southampton, who will play in the FA Cup semi-finals for the first time since 2021, were the deserved winners on the night.
Arsenal on the other hand were void of any real quality, and have lost back-to-back games for the first time all season.
They return to action on Tuesday night against Sporting for their Champions League quarter-final first leg.
Some of the players' heads may well have dropped after defeat at Southampton, with Groves concerned about their mentality.
"It could have a huge impact, we won't know until the Sporting game," he said. "The treble dream is done and dusted, now they're going for the double.
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| The Gunners have gone from potentially winning four trophies, to only two |
"This has got to hurt…they looked disjointed.
"It wasn't due to lack of effort, but they couldn't match the intensity of the Southampton players."
'It's really special'
Speaking post-match, winning goalscorer Charles told BBC Sport: "I got told to come on and try and get hold of the game, try and keep the ball a bit.
"We did OK, but to score was just special. I thought just try and place it in the corner.
"It's really special. These fans deserve this and you heard how loud they were tonight."
On the prospect of promotion to the Premier League and winning the FA Cup in the same season, he added: "To do something like that with this team would be unbelievable."
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| Another week, another cup defeat for Arsenal Credit: GETTY |
Cheeky dig
Southampton's joy on Saturday spilt onto social media after the game too, with them taking a cheeky swipe at a fan.
An Arsenal supporter commented on their full-time post, writing: "Fluke win."
But they replied, saying: "Enjoy your quadruple, pal."
The Saints have certainly had the last laugh tonight.
- Robert Calcutt
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