Aubmeyang scores as Arsenal continues red card stretch

Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta has lamented his side’s poor discipline after Gabriel’s red card damaged his side in their draw against Southampton at the Emirates stadium

Arsenal has played with 10 men in three games of their last five matches after Gabriel Magalhaes received his marching orders against Southampton on Wednesday night.

Theo Walcott put the Saints ahead with a first-half goal against his former club before Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang levelled the match early in the second half.

With Arsenal poised to chase a winner, the complexion of the game changed when Gabriel was given a second yellow card for bringing down Walcott in the 60th minute.

For the third time in five league games and for the seventh time since Arteta took charge a year ago, the gunners were down to 10 men in the Premier League.

Gabriel Magalhaes has been Arsenal’s best defender this season and it was disappointing to see him get sent off, at first it was Nicolas Pepe against Leeds United, then Granit Xhaka followed suit on Sunday’s defeat to Burnley.

“We didn’t have time to think, we adjusted two or three things to try and win the game,” Arteta told the BBC “The boys came out like we did three days ago, we scored a really good goal, on top in the game, and again we shoot ourselves in the foot.

Since Arteta’s first Premier League game in charge, on Boxing Day 2019, Arsenal have been shown seven red cards, four more than any other Premier League side in a period of a year.

Arteta was happy to see Aubameyang score his first goal from open play since the opening game of the season, and only his third league strike of the campaign. 

“Aubameyang needed that confidence boost, he is very critical with himself, hopefully he can move and be more optimistic in the future,” Arteta said. 

Arsenal will look to secure their first Premier League win since November 1 when they travel to Goodison Park to take on Everton on Saturday.