Gabriel Jesus admits his poor finishing contributed to Arsenal’s slip-up against Southampton (Premier League)

Gabriel Jesus has warned his Arsenal teammates they are embarking on a ‘difficult time’ following their 1-1 draw with Southampton on Sunday.

Granit Xhaka gave Mikel Arteta’s side an early lead at St Mary’s but the Gunners failed to build on their advantage and Stuart Armstrong’s second-half goal rescued a point for Southampton.

Jesus, meanwhile, missed two excellent chances to extend Arsenal’s lead and the result means their lead over Manchester City at the top of the Premier League is cut to two points.

‘I’m disappointed, we’re all upset with the result today because we know our quality, we know we could win the game today the way we played,’ Jesus told Premier League Productions after Arsenal’s draw with Southampton.

‘Of course, we dropped a little bit of our level, we have to come back because this league is tough, it’s difficult.

‘Everyone is upset, now it’s the difficult time I think, the difficult time is coming so everyone has to be alert, focus more, we have six or seven games before we stop before the World Cup, so we need to come back, relax tomorrow but come back strong because that’s football, sometimes you drop a little bit but you have to realise and wake up, that’s what we have to do now.’

Gabriel Jesus has now gone five games without a goal for Arsenal (EPA)

When asked if he feels the mid-season World Cup is a distraction, Jesus replied: ‘The only thing I know is I have to do my job here. I have to focus here and then if they [Brazil] call me I go and focus when the time is the World Cup, not now.

‘Now my focus is here. Arsenal are my club. I think everyone has to realise the World Cup is not yet, we have to focus here.

‘I think we’ve dropped a little bit of our level, with and without the ball. That’s going to happen sometimes, we’re young, I’m still young as well, we have to be more focused sometimes.

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‘We create a lot, like today, again we create but we are not finishing good. I put me in that, of course, because I had some chances today, I could have scored one or two then we win the game.

‘Like I said, sometimes football is like this. You create and play well, but you don’t score and you don’t win the game, it’s hard, it’s difficult, it hurts.

‘But what can we do now… it’s past, we have to realise, wake up, improve and come back.’

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Jesus has now gone five games without a goal for Arsenal.