Arsenal could have moved to the third spot on the league table had they been able to beat Crystal Palace on Sunday.
But instead, it was the visiting club which picked up all three points by beating a lacklustre Arsenal side 3-2.
The Gunners looked weary all throughout the 90 minutes and despite the forwards trying really hard, it was the midfield and defence which let Unai Emery down.
And Shkodran Mustafi, in particular, has been singled out from criticism after his failure to stop Wilfried Zaha from scoring the third goal for Palace.
Instead of stopping Zaha, Shkodran Mustafi seemed to get out of the way which helped the Ivorian take a clear shot at goal.
But speaking after the game, Unai Emery chose to explain why his defence looked so fragile during the second half indirectly shielding Shkodran Mustafi from the blame.
“In the first half we continued with the three central defenders because I think we can be more consistent with that,” said Emery.
“In the second half we changed to play with two and we can take more possibilities in the attacking third, in the build-up, but defensively we gave them more space to take the transitions.”
Shkodran Mustafi has been a key feature in defence for Arsenal this season and the fans are just not willing to accept such an amateurish mistake from a player who has been getting constant game time.
A number of abuses have been hurled at the defender on social media but the more level headed people have urged Unai Emery to sell him off during the summer transfer window.
This was a great chance for Arsenal to secure a top-four finish but the loss now means their dreams are still hanging in the balance until the end of the season.
And some pundits have also claimed that winning the Europa League might be the only way through which Shkodran Mustafi and co can ensure a return back to the top tier of European football next campaign.
