Saints lost at the Emirates after conceding a soft goal, however Saints fans should remember the points Artur Boruc has gained for the team this season and forgive him this howler.

Saints put in a solid performance against Arsenal although in fairness to the home side they had already hit the post twice before the bizarre 22nd minute opener.

Artur Boruc has to put his hand up on this one, he had not one but two opportunities to put the ball into the stand and finding himself cut off for a third attempt was robbed of the ball by Giroud who put it into an empty net, some Saints fans hurled abuse at Boruc, but most were just stunned into silence and when they got over the shock realised that Boruc has had a great season for Saints and should be allowed the odd howler, he isn't the first to make a mistake in the Saints goal and he wont be the last.

Arsenal though always looked comfortable for their win and although Saints battled hard as they always do, they were struggling in defence without Dejan Lovren, Jos Hooiveld put in 100% as he always does, but the plain truth is he isn't good enough against the best teams, especially the more mobile sides like Arsenal who rely on pace and guile rather than pumping balls into the box.

Did Saints ever look like getting a point ? not from my place in the stands they didn't but lets not forget that Arsenal are the league leaders and getting back to their methodical best, with all the reshuffling we had to do in defence with Luke Shaw going off at half time, we did well to stay in the game as long as we did, the trick as we showed at Old Trafford is to stay in a position where you can nick something at the end, something the Gunners have specialised in over the years, sadly on this occasion it wasn't to be and the game was killed off when Giroud scored from the penalty spot with 4 minutes to go.

Perhaps this game will bring Saints fans back to earth a bit and hopefully on the pitch a few lessons need to be learnt, in the preview I warned of our lack of cover and sadly this proved to be prophetical with the missing Lovren and then Shaw leaving us stretched to breaking point at the back.

But its all about learning lessons and coming back stronger than before, so far this season this team has done us proud, if someone had said before the season that it would be almost December before we suffered our second defeat of the season and that when we had done after 12 games we would still be 5th and have the best defence in the Premier league we would have laughed in their face, yes this was a disappointing loss, but in the big picture of things we are still in a good position, perhaps its a wake up call against complacency, to make mistakes a lose is not a crime, to keep repeating them is, now is when we will see the character of the side especially with some tough games coming up, I have said all season it will be the turn of the year when we will truly get the picture of how good we really are and I still stand by that.

Photo: Action Images

slynch added 10:15 - Nov 25 I've worried that Saints lack cover but I think this game showed there IS cover. Using lesser players and changing positions Pochettino created a team held their own against the top team. It showed that this had been practiced and the players were well drilled in their alternative roles. The team lost a little in what joins defence to attack but if you put aside the goals which were both entirely self inflicted then the team drew, and with Shaw, Lovren and Lallana missing. Everybody makes mistakes but Saints lost to Arsenal and a lot of other people are doing that it wasn't Palace or Fulham. If players get injured in the future we now know that there is are viable alternatives in place.

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Fordy added 10:30 - Nov 25 Not a bad performance. I think the footballing gods conspired against us with Lovren and Shaw injured and Lallana carrying a knock and then Boruc's blunder. The key to this game was getting the first goal. Arsenal have shown against Villa and Dortmund that they can be hit on the break but after they scored they were very patient and didn't take any risks so it was just a shame we gave away such a poor goal to gift them the lead.

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IanRC added 10:40 - Nov 25 Disagree with most of the start of that. It is one thing for a player to make a mistake in good faith but another to exhibit rank stupidity. Yes we should remember his good work but Boruc owes a huge apology to his teammates and the fans. Whilst Arsenal had the two best chances prior to the goal over the match we had more possession, more corners and always looked a threat until Lallana went off (for me a major error by MoPo). For me we always looked like we could grab something until this substitution. Don't think Jos could really be faulted for either goal although I agree the loss of Dejan was significant as was the loss of Luke at half time. As for Clattenberg, what a disgrace. Every corner we took there was an Arsenal holding a shirt of one of our players and even Boruc's shirt was tugged slightly for their first goal.

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montecristo added 11:24 - Nov 25 As soon as Isaw that Lovren wasnt playing I knew wed get nothing and so it proved. He has been our best player this season by aa country mile, and while its great promoting from the academy, Cortese will need to get his cheque book out and sign another center half .Hooveld is nowhere good enough the defence looked jittery and rushed, and thats why we conceded two soft goals. With Lovren there we would not have lost. Saints do not have enough in midfield either, not enough chances if Ramires does not shape up ship him out and get another with the money. Chelsea are beginning to get their act together lets hope Saints and Lovren are up for this match, we cant afford to drop any more points..

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BaselSaint added 11:42 - Nov 25 This is exactly why we need to keep Cork, its a squad game and we need excellent cover for the inevitably injuries and form fluctuations.
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BaselSaint added 11:43 - Nov 25 By the way that was a bl**dy soft penalty
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ericofarabia added 11:59 - Nov 25 It shows how far we have come that we are disappointed at losing away to The League leaders, by giving them a goal headstart and then conceding a soft a penalty, which 9/10 times would have gone unpunished. Add to that losing Lovren before the match and then the 2nd half having a midfielder at LB, a RB at LB, Jos making his 1st PL start and Lallana & SRL carrying injuries (?) from their Intl exploits, we still generally held our own.

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Whatsforpud added 12:05 - Nov 25 Disagree re your comment on Hooiveld. Neither goal was his fault. You were quite lenient on Boruc here. Agreed he has made some outstanding saves in some games, but what he did on Saturday was frankly unforgivable. Pochettino, from his comments, seemed quite relaxed about Boruc's antics (they were antics rather than a mistake), but hopefully should tell him to take a touch then either pass or clear the ball. Although we have only conceded 7 goals, at least 3 of them were down to, or partly down to Boruc. Before this one, was the freak goal at Sunderland, which he would have saved had he been nearer his line, and the home match when he unnecessarily passed to Wanyama who was asleep. Keeping the ball on the deck and passing to your defenders is very laudable, but for goodness sake, when things are tight, just put your foot through it.

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SaintNick added 12:37 - Nov 25 "Frankly Unforgivable" so you are suggesting that we immediately drop him and put Kelvin Davis in goal !!!!!!! That is a massive overreaction but it is what you are effectively saying. Im sorry but watch that Hull goal, Boruc passed to wanyama's feet, Wanyama was wide awake and tried to be clever and turn, if you look at the replay you will see Boruc point to the right back position, he told Wanyama exactly were it needed to go. This is the way we play under Pochettino, we don't just hoof it from the back, we play our way out. I agree on Saturday Boruc should have put his foot through it, he didn't, he made an error, he has to move on (some would say he has he didn't do it again in the match) and so do supporters, get behind our players don't crucify them

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sheffieldsaint added 12:44 - Nov 25 Goalkeeper errors,generally, stand out more than if an outplayer makes them . So I need to be mindful of that when criticising Boric. But the point is he's made similar errors of judgment before - against Hull most recently ,but I recall other dribbling escapades he's been on that he's got away with but were unnecessary. Surely a bloke in his thirties, an international player, safe in the team knows when to use professional judgment as be able to say to his boss , ok you want me to pass it out but on that occasion it was too risky so I booted it.

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simmo400 added 13:11 - Nov 25 Play the same players get the same results ..... your phrase Nick. Now im not saying drop Boruc but h enneds reminding that hi poor decsions are costing us goals. Another daft goal put their tails up and we dont need that aginst anyone. The second a stupid penalty and needless tug. Cut these errors out fast or our goal difference will soon be in the red once again.
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SaintNick added 14:20 - Nov 25 "His poor decisions are costing us goals " I don't think they are, as I said against Hull he made the right decision as per his managers instructions and that was to pass the ball to the feet of Wanyama who had dropped back to receive the ball, the fact that wanyama made the wrong decision was not Boruc's fault. At Stoke there was no decision to make, he just got caught be a freak goal in the wind. Saturday was a poor decision, but its the first mistake he has made since he came back in to the side on new years day, that's not a bad record for a keeper. It will now be easy for Boruc to hide and just hoof it up every time he gets a back pass, if he does then that will put pressure on us defensively. I would be interested to know what people now expect to happen with Boruc, presumably some want to see him dropped, I find it very funny how some players can make mistakes etc but are worshipped whilst others are vilified the moment they do something wrong

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Whatsforpud added 14:35 - Nov 25 Wonder if Kelvin would have got away with it!
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ExiledSupporter added 15:29 - Nov 25 Boruc made an enormous mistake and has been widely ridiculed for it (understandably) But he still remains our best keeper by the previously mentioned unit of measurement ie. a country mile. Davis is no viable replacement and our past defensive wobbles have been down to KD, I believe, more than to Jos who despite a few inherent shortcomings played better than I would have expected. Like most others I anticipated an awful afternoon when I heard Lovren was missing and seemed likely to be worse once Shaw was withdrawn. Unusually I agree with slynch that these players could be missing and their replacements drafted in without the defence imploding was much to MP's credit. However we didn't look at all convincing going forward, I don't think we have enough width and we certainly lack the key player to play the 10 role, thanks to the disappointing performances of Ramirez. Our inability to really threaten in the opposition's half will be our main impediment this season (despite often having most of the possession). By the way I thought both Wanyama and Schneiderlein had excellent games in front of the defence. Thoroughly agree with BaselSaint that our experience at Arsenal shows the value of always having Cork available on the bench because of his adaptability and qualities in several positions on the pitch. Did I hear he was injured?

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simmo400 added 15:41 - Nov 25 Not sure i agree with you Nick. He miss-judged at Stoke, put Wanyama under pressure ,when he could see all the pitch, and saturday we all agree. I think hes a good keeper but he has to take responsibility as well. Agreed we cant just HOOF it but he also has to judge if its a good option surely ? Even he agreed he owed Saints after the Stoke goal.....it was on TV.
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SaintNick added 15:41 - Nov 25 Kelvin would have got away with it if it was his only real howler in a year, but Kelvin's problem is that he couldn't command his box, he didn't make many howlers, but plenty of goals conceded where he didn't claim the ball in the six yard box, look at one of the goals up at sunderland for instance, he didn't hold on to it. If you remember when Saints played Preston a few years ago, Kelvin got caught out doing exactly what Boruc did on Saturday and for two years at Saints was given dogs abuse by the crowd due to his poor performances, Kelvin was a loyal club man but not a great keeper for Saints

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stmichael added 16:46 - Nov 25 Nick I think it is obvious even to a blind man that Boruc has made the 2 cock ups of the season of all clubs from all divisions. Beaten from 100 yards and then this. Chuck in the pass to VW and it is clear he is going through a bad patch at the moment. I certainly would not drop him but he needs to improve because he has already wiped out any credit he was in prior to these mistakes.

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A1079 added 17:24 - Nov 25 I was not there so I am responding based on what I have seen in various media outlets. Whilst the focus is on Boruc, and to some extent rightly so, our inability to convert any possession into goals is a factor. I don't know what average goals per game is, but Hull apart, it feels pretty low, but weigh that against possession in most games, it should be heaps better than it is. If some of our possession was converted to goals then when we made mistakes they would be less telling. Shaw concerns me. How often is that lad going to be missing because of injury or illness? Our performance at Arsenal looked reasonable and I guess I did not expect anything but heaven it would be nice if we came away with something from the Emirates for a change. Some hard games ahead and I think Saturday and the weeks ahead could be a reality check, but one negative result should not detract from our overall excellent first half of a season so far.

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zonehead added 21:20 - Nov 25 Id rather a great keeper with the odd comedic error in a way it showed his confidence than a dodgy keeper, anyway we have no choice.
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abingdonsaint added 21:31 - Nov 25 Well, certainly agree that Boruc has been excellent so far this season, and the goal at Stoke was just an unfortunate freak. Saturday was different, and a monumental cock-up, but hey, that happens! Not sure this is what you mean Nick, but the game itself was definitely a wake up call for those that doubt we are among the best in the country! Travelled with a mate who is an Arsenal fan, and trust me, they were very grateful for the win against a top side, even though we were nowhere near our best. I would agree that we did lack goal threat, but we are still developing, and Arsenal did not look overly threatening either. Basically, the two best midfield's in the league cancelled each other out! I know you are not a fan of Jos, but he did nothing wrong, and if you are saying that he is not as good as Lovren, then you could apply that to any other central defender with the possible exception of Vincent Kompany. And as for those who have been asking why we bought Wanyama...... I know it is a disappointment for those who love a good relegation scrap, but start forgetting the past, believe your own eyes and not club badges and price tags. Anybody who saw Spurs or Man Utd yesterday.....honestly, how many of their players would you swap for ours?

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abingdonsaint added 21:31 - Nov 25 Well, certainly agree that Boruc has been excellent so far this season, and the goal at Stoke was just an unfortunate freak. Saturday was different, and a monumental cock-up, but hey, that happens! Not sure this is what you mean Nick, but the game itself was definitely a wake up call for those that doubt we are among the best in the country! Travelled with a mate who is an Arsenal fan, and trust me, they were very grateful for the win against a top side, even though we were nowhere near our best. I would agree that we did lack goal threat, but we are still developing, and Arsenal did not look overly threatening either. Basically, the two best midfield's in the league cancelled each other out! I know you are not a fan of Jos, but he did nothing wrong, and if you are saying that he is not as good as Lovren, then you could apply that to any other central defender with the possible exception of Vincent Kompany. And as for those who have been asking why we bought Wanyama...... I know it is a disappointment for those who love a good relegation scrap, but start forgetting the past, believe your own eyes and not club badges and price tags. Anybody who saw Spurs or Man Utd yesterday.....honestly, how many of their players would you swap for ours?

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Jesus_02 added 11:32 - Nov 26 Absolutely gutted at not getting a result at Arsenal! And astounded at myself for feeling like this! In support of Boruc… he was fouled as he was tackled from behind…(check out the photos on the mail website you can see Giroud takes his leg before the ball) AND his shirt was being pulled. The plain truth is a goalkeeper has no right to attempt to play the ball with his feet and he (and saints) where rightly punished for their impudence. The Daily Fail then goes on to wax lyrical about Ramsey and Wiltshire and say that “Arsenal give you the impression you are watching one of their great sides from Arsene Wengers past” No sour grapes - I just dint think Arsenal where “all that”. The title race is wide open, Saints don’t have the squad to compete for it but we have a first 11 that can beat anyone on the day. Looking forward to Chelsea

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