Arsenal 3 - 1 Southampton - Match Report

Goals from Kai Havertz, Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka saw us come from behind to sneak past a spirited Southampton side at Emirates Stadium.

After a quiet first half, the game exploded into life when Cameron Archer put the Saints in front as they searched for their first win on our patch since 1987. However, that sparked us into life and Kai Havertz netted for the seventh straight home game to quickly level things, and 10 minutes later substitute Martinelli slipped us in front,

We would have to survive a few scares late on as the visitors struck the woodwork twice in quick succession, but Saka wrapped up the points two minutes from the end to register our 400th Premier League home win, and head into the international break with our 16-game unbeaten run intact.

The opening 45 minutes were instantly forgettable as the Gunners were left frustrated by failing to break the deadlock despite being in complete control of proceedings.

Things looked good in the first 10 minutes as we camped ourselves in the visiting penalty area, but with 11 Saints sitting behind the ball content to soak up as much as possible, clear-cut chances were at a premium.

Gabriel saw a header from a corner blocked while Gabriel Jesus had a couple of sights of goal thwarted, with Havertz next to nod over a flag kick as Russell Martin’s defence lived dangerously.

Only two shots on target were registered in the first 30 minutes, with Kyle Walker-Peters testing his luck from range but David Raya was barely troubled, and with six in his last six Emirates appearances Havertz looked certain to extend that run but a diving defender stopped his shot reached the returning Aaron Ramsdale.

As the final few minutes of the half ticked by, Jorginho whizzed a shot from 20 yards just wide of our former shot-stopper’s far post, and in stoppage time Ramsdale finally dirtied his gloves when from a similar position Thomas Partey drove a low effort towards the opposite corner but it was fielded well by the England international as he took a clean sheet into the interval.

Martin would have been delighted that his gameplan was working, and with three minutes of the second half gone Southampton nearly pinched the lead. Tyler Dibling slipped past Riccardo Calafiori down the right and saw a cross deflect into the path of Mateus Fernandes who stabbed it onto the top of the crossbar.

But on 54 minutes, we failed to heed the warning and the Saints snatched the lead. Fernandes dispossed Raheem Sterling and clipped the ball over the backline for Archer to run onto, and he composed himself before coolly tucking the ball into the bottom corner as the visitors threatened to claim their first win in 20 top-flight games.

We needed a response to lift not just ourselves but the crowd and fortunately, it took just four minutes to get it - and of course it was red-hot Havertz who grabbed it.

As is their footballing philosophy, Southampton tried to play the ball around in their own third and were caught out when Bukayo Saka intercepted and instantly fed the German. Good footwork saw him create space around Taylor Harwood-Bellis, allowing him to drill a shot in off the post and become the first Gunner to score in five straight home league games since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in September 2019.

One player who has now netted in two successful home league games is Martinelli, and having been introduced from the bench on the hour mark he took just eight minutes to help flip the game on its head.

Once again the delivery came from Saka who registered his seventh assist of the campaign courtesy of a brilliant deep cross that allowed Martinelli to sneak in behind the Saints backline and squeeze the ball between Ramsdale and the near post with a side-footed effort. After a lengthy VAR check for offside, the goal was given and the turnaround was complete.

But the Saints pushed back and would hit the woodwork twice within the space of a minute. Dibling saw a shot from 20 yards clip off a defender and beat Raya but flick off the base of the post, and from the resulting corner the ball flicked off an unwitting Aadam Armstrong and crashed onto the crossbar as Emirates Stadium held its breath.

And the sighs of relief were palpable two minutes from time when Saka sealed the points. Leandro Trossard was given space to drive into the final third, but after his run was cut short, Yukinari Sugawara inadvertently nudged the ball into the path of Saka who instantly fed the ball past Ramsdale to put the result beyond doubt.

We now head into the international break, with our next game seeing us head to Bournemouth on Saturday, October 19. The Champions League returns three days later when Shakhtar Donetsk come to north London, followed by Liverpool on Sunday, October 27.