Arsenal secured the three points at the St Mary’s Stadium today, but surviving the 90 minutes without another injury was the brightest point.
Our side started the game brightly and had our opponents very much on the back-foot, and did find the back of the net inside the opening half hour, before the goal was rightly ruled out for offside.
We continued to press on with the advantage, and looked a dead cert to break the deadlock shortly after.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang breaking through thanks to some lackadaisical defending by Jack Stephens which allowed the striker through on goal with just the goalkeeper to beat, only for PEA to strike it against the bar.
The opener did follow shortly after that thankfully, when Alex McCarthy’s failed clearance gifted Eddie Nketiah the opener, which resulted in us going into the break with a 1-0 lead.
We started the second half unchanged, but not before long the game began to turn. The Saints were slowly looking like they were going to punish our wastefulness in attack, and with Danny Ings in the side you can be forgiven for expecting to concede.
Thankfully their pressure fizzled out into nothing, and it was actually Arsenal who sealed the game out with a second goal.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang looked to take advantage of some more disastrous defending by the hosts, but was taken down as he looked to take the loose ball off the struggling defender, and Stephens found himself sent off for his troubles.
The next goal wasn’t exactly aesthetically pleasing, with the resulting free kick blasted into the static wall, before a second shot was saved by the keeper only to fall into the on-running Joe Willock to place past the beaten goalkeeper with little time remaining on the clock.
Our boys secured a much-needed 2-0 win over Southampton today to fire us back up to ninth in the table, eight points behind Chelsea in the fourth and final Champions League place.
While the result was so important after our recent performances, I can’t help but think that making it through the tie unscathed was equally as important however.
Can our boys finally get back on track and secure a place in Europe for next term? Why was Ozil left out again??
Patrick
Luckily Soton didn’t play rough like Brighton and Nketiah was the hero today with his tireless efforts. But it’d be better if Arsenal look for a new center forward who can do hold-up play well, since none of our strikers can do that consistently
The Gunners will need some time to get used to Arteta’s/ Guardiola’s deceiving dynamic tactics, but they will eventually understand the confusing concept. That’s why I prefer Arteta or Guardiola as compared to the managers who prefer rigid tactics, like Wenger, Emery, Mourinho and Ancelotti
Saka is an important piece in this system, so I hope Arsenal would be able to extend his contract soon. I’m just concerned about Bellerin’s misplaced passes, who obviously hasn’t returned to his peak form
We didn’t appreciate Giroud for all his hold ups and flicks which provided multiple chances for his teammates to score until we lost him. He provided assists and preassists but was condemned for not scoring those goals himself. That’s how some Arsenal fans are..
I was one of Giroud-Out brigade, because he was like a lamp post and very slow. Little did I know we need another lamp post for plan B in post-Wenger era
Giroud is mostly a barren target man, but France national football team utilized his hold-up play, strength and height very well. Had they used agile strikers who can’t protect the ball like Lacazette and Martial, they wouldn’t be able to win the World Cup
Now we need a CF who can keep the ball or a tall target man who is willing to be plan B in the second half
Hold up and link up plays are the reason why auba is not playing in the middle…..
Yup
I hope Tierney is alright…
I was relieved no one left on crutches!
A win and a clean sheet on the road – well I never!!
I hope so, the boy is really showing why we bid all through the summer to get him here, he has been unlucky with injuries and has yet to show us his real self, hopefully we will see more of him next season. That long pass to AUBA that almost gave us the lead was his brightest so far, am sure there are more to come from him
Spot on, Adajim 👍
When was the last time we won at St.Mary’s in the league?? Any one remember ?
It was PL in May 2017 (according to FotMob)
Still waiting for some “realists”…😂😂
Pretty happy with the result.Holding,tierney and nketiah are standout performers for me.Pepe and ceballos need to improve.Every other player did ok and SAKA MUST SIGN THE CONTRACT.Granit Xhaka clearly has an influence in the system MA tries
Oh and bellerin need to improve as well…
Mustafi was also good, but maybe he would be sold. Ceballos’ mind doesn’t seem to be at Arsenal, but we already have Maitland-Niles to replace him
Xhaka would likely leave, so Arteta might look for another left-footed DM
Niles must be loaned cuz he has some problems in decision making,he need loads of gametime.
And if ceballos is not played either pepe or ozil has to be in the middle and not saka because he belong to the flanks.
Great result
8clean sheets in 18 matches now for Arteta and the team ,a big stride forward from having to pick up the pieces left over from Emery and the disastrous squad he left behind .
Let’s hope we can move forward now and pick up a result against Sheffield Utd .
Dan, please explain how it was Emery’s squad, when he didn’t get the players he wanted? You are like a dog wiyh a bone blaming Emery, when it was the senior executives and Board, who did not support him.
Pleased with the win.
Hector…get planting 😝
“Why was ozil left out again”? Are you serious, Patrick! Answer: because he is a bone idle passenger, that is why and quite right he is left out too!
Oh City……😩
Mendy or Luiz, who is the biggest 🤡 ?
Hmmm I’m not sure 😅
I think Mendy takes this one, 2 brain farts in 10 seconds.
Jeez that’ll take some beating!! 😂
Luizs errors were not from miscommunication but unable to position himself or in other words forgetting tge basics of defending
Mendy is a different case
And please man city,please not tonight!!!!
Oh I don’t believe it……..🥺
A win but boy was that another hard watch. How the mighty has fallen! We are not looking very good at all but to scrape a win against anyone is still a win.
Boy that was a hard watch, how the mighty has fallen. We look so mediocre and so untrained but a win is a win even if it was a little fortunate. Though Martinez, Nketiah, Holding and Tierney did ok but boy Bellerin, Pepe and xhaka looked way off it, especially Bellerin.
I missed it all due to a first evening out, socially distancing with friends for a couple of drinks.
I am tickled pink that we won and I shall watch highlights or the whole match that I missed.
What I am really happy about is that there are not hundreds of moaners about how useless Arteta is. All silent.
Well done Arsenal and Arteta.
I always supported Arteta and his methods but slightly got confused sometimes about his substitutions. However a great win and a nice way to come back to winning ways. Mustafi and Holding, specially the latter did very well and Tierney and Nketiah were great. Auba was his usual attacking self and Martinez also did a great job. Sheffield Utd. next cant wait. We need more wins like this to make it to the EUL. Up the Gunners!
I’m glad you did Gunnerforlife
I was just so shocked reading on JA at how many wanted him out.
He took over Arsenal mid season during a toxic spell under Emery, & got a better response from the players. Going into lockdown, injuries and Luiz having a game he’d like to forget didn’t help at City.
We are in a difficult position financially with players taking pay cuts only to have our highest earner unable for tactical reasons to get into the team
Arteta has had a baptism of fire and with a number of fans already thinking they are better managers than he is after a disjointed season and so few games
Oh ok mate ,sorry the disastrous squad the board left behind ,I forgot they picked the team and set the formation and gave team talks set the training schedule etc ,they must have paid Emery a big salary for doing nothing then .
My mistake
Hopefully you will blame the board if the same thing happens to Arteta .
Reply to Ozzie 👆
Dan, read all my posts about the ineptness of the
senior executives and Board; I have not criticized Arteta as yet.
My point was in response to your comment about the quality of the squad Arteta inherited from Emery, yet Emery inherited the bulk from Wenger and those newly transferred were not the ones he requested.
Fair enough to criticize his selections, formations and training regimes yet he still finished 5th and made the Europa League final in his first season. I only ask that both Emery and Arteta are treated fairly, by the same criteria.