Arsenal lost 2-1 to Southampton in the FA Cup quarterfinals on Saturday, a defeat that extended their slide to two straight losses in cup competition and left them with only one major front still carrying hope. The Gunners now turn to Sporting CP in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals on Tuesday.
For Arsenal, the timing is brutal. They remain first in the Premier League, but Manchester City are nine points behind in second place with a game in hand and visit on April 19. City have not lost in the league since January 17, while Arsenal's last league defeat came eight days later at home against Manchester United. That leaves Mikel Arteta's side trying to steady themselves after the two results that have changed the mood of their season: the Carabao Cup final loss to Manchester City and the FA Cup exit to Southampton.
The scale of the setback is what makes this run feel heavier than a bad week. Arsenal had been viewed as candidates for a quadruple, but those hopes are now collapsing quickly. They are already out of both domestic cups, and the club's recent history makes the pressure sharper still: Arsenal have finished second in the Premier League in three consecutive seasons. A team that had built momentum now faces the possibility of another year defined less by what it won than by what slipped away.
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There is still time for the season to change shape, but not much margin for error. Sporting CP arrives on Tuesday, and then Manchester City comes to North London on April 19 with the title race still alive and the champions chasing a national treble. Arsenal can still control the table, but the past week has shown how quickly control can start to look like survival.
