Mikel Arteta says Arsenal must find “that little percentage” to take the final step towards success, after a 2-1 win over Southampton brought their Premier League campaign to a close on Sunday.

Kieran Tierney, making his final appearance for the club, opened the scoring just before half-time with a sharp near-post finish, though Ross Stewart levelled proceedings early in the second half.

Despite dominating possession, the Gunners failed to find a way through, and it took a 89th-minute long-range strike from Martin Odegaard to snatch victory at St. Mary’s Stadium.

The win confirmed Arsenal’s third straight second-place finish, marking only the fifth time in top-flight history a team has been runners-up three years in a row, with Arsenal the first side to do so twice (also 1998-99 to 2000-01).

Reflecting on his side’s performance to BBC Match of the Day, Arteta said: “We wanted to finish with that positivity, that good atmosphere and vibe.

“We had to say goodbye to a few players, and I think they deserved that to happen in a nice environment.”

Speaking on what plans the club has for the summer transfer window, the Spaniard pointed to some subtle improvements: “Josh [Kroenke] has been very clear in the direction and ambition we have.

“We're going to try and see what we can do, make very subtle decisions, and respect what has taken us this far.

“There's not much improvement for us. We've finished second three times, reached the Champions League semi-finals. There's just that little percentage we need to nail.”

Ending the season with all three points  pic.twitter.com/AiotOLuvxS

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) May 25, 2025

Tierney, who is set for a return to boyhood club Celtic at the end of the season, leaves Arsenal having scored four Premier League goals – all of them coming against teams that were relegated in the same season (Southampton in 2024-25, Watford in 2019-20, West Brom in 2020-21, and Norwich in 2021-22).

“Kieran said yesterday, ‘I'm going to score on my last Arsenal match’ and now he's done it. We’re very happy with him. He's been a big part of the journey,” Arteta added.

Southampton’s defeat capped a historically poor campaign. The Saints are now the first team in Premier League history to lose 30 games in a season, and indeed the first to lose 30 games in a 38-game top-flight campaign.

Just hours before kick-off, the club announced that Will Still had been appointed manager ahead of their next Championship campaign.

Simon Rusk reflects on our final day display:

— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) May 25, 2025

Interim manager Simon Rusk was optimistic about Southampton’s performances despite their disappointing 20th-place finish.

“Out of the seven games I've had [as manager], there's been positives in there,” Rusk told BBC Match of the Day.

“We were really close to taking a point off the Premier League runners-up. We can be really proud of our overall display and hopefully that's a good platform going into next season.

When asked about his future following Still’s appointment, he added: “I've had no information on my future.

“My concentration was to support the players in delivering a game plan to get something out of these games.

“It's good for everyone to have clarity on who the manager is going to be, and I'm sure when the time is right, I'll get some clarity on my own future.”