Rob Holding could barely disguise his disappointment after Southampton's first-half double knocked the Gunners out of the EFL Cup on Wednesday.
Jordy Clasie broke the deadlock inside the opening quarter of an hour, and Holding believes it was uphill from then on.
"They had something to hold on to then," he told Arsenal Player. "Away from home, they’re going to sit back.
"And to be fair, Southampton defended well.