Arsenal emerged from their encounter with the Saints at the Emirates victorious after a comfortable 2-0 victory.
It didn’t take long for Unai Emery’s side to open the scoring, as by the sixth minute the ball was already nestling in the net behind Angus Gunn. It could have been a very different beginning to the game, however, as Nathan Redmond had a glorious opportunity to open the scoring just 30 seconds previous. An excellent save from Bernd Leno started the Arsenal attack which led to the opening goal.
Alex Iwobi played an excellent lofted ball into the box which was met by Henrik Mkhitaryan, whose strike ricocheted off of Alexandre Lacazette and into the net. The Frenchman may not have known much about it but his striker’s instinct put him on the scoresheet. Had the ball have not ended up in the back of the net, Arsenal probably would have had a penalty as Lucas Torreira was bundled over in the box by a retreating Jack Stephens, who was lucky not to get penalised.
It only took Arsenal another seven minutes before they grabbed their second, Iwobi being the instigator and Mkhitaryan the finisher. Iwobi drove the ball low across the box this time, which matched Mkhitaryan’s run perfectly. He made no mistake and placed the ball expertly past Gunn into the bottom right-hand corner.
2-0 was a fair result for the game as, at times during the match, Arsenal looked like they were playing in a training game, knocking the ball around for fun and playing the way that the fans know and love. However, there were also periods in the game where Southampton looked dangerous and with four shots on target apiece, it might well have been a different game if chances had been taken.
Individual mistakes haunt the Saints
Defensive mistakes have been costing Southampton all season, and Sunday was no different. Arsenal are a side who, on their day, can rip any team apart and punish them. Taking this into account, it is criminal to be making such stupid defensive errors against such a high calibre side, especially considering Southampton are now well and truly in the relegation battle.
The first mistake was made by Stephens after Leno had made a brilliant save at the other end putting Arsenal on the attack. This was broken down doggedly by Oriol Romeu but the ball fell to Stephens, who then took it into the midfield only to lose out to Torreira, meaning Iwobi was set free and Arsenal went on to score.
Not only did he make the initial error, when attempting to get back and defend he almost certainly would have conceded a penalty if it were not for Lacazette’s finish. With Maya Yoshida now back in the squad after finishing as runners up in the Asian Cup with Japan, he surely has to play as the last thing Southampton need is more silly mistakes. To make matters worse, Stephens was arguably at fault for the second goal, taking a risk and putting Gunn under pressure with a shocking back pass. Overall, a day to forget for Jack Stephens.
Arsenal back to winning ways
Emery would have been eager to put one over on the Saints, as it was Hasenhuttl’s first game in charge in the reverse fixture that saw Southampton overturn the Gunners’ 21-game unbeaten run. The high-intensity football was fantastic from Arsenal – crisp sharp passing from a side looking like they were brimming with confidence. Many questioned Emery’s starting line-up as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was left out of the starting XI, however Lacazette quickly showed the doubters why they should trust in Emery and his decisions as Arsenal manager.
Another piece of team controversy surrounding Emery was his decision not to start Mesut Ozil. Ozil’s intentions have been made clear through social media that he will not be leaving Arsenal any time soon, and his introduction into the second half may be a second beginning for Ozil under a new manager. Emery has put his foot down and has proven that no player’s ability or ego is bigger than the club and that attitude has to be all right.
This highlights two polar opposites on the blue and red sides of London after Kepa Arizabalaga’s performance in the EFL Cup final later in the day. Two contrasting ways of dealing with players lead to two different outcomes, with Chelsea slipping out of the top four and Arsenal stepping up, with Manchester United closely behind.
Is Hasenhuttl the one?
When Ralph Hasenhuttl came into Southampton football club, he was almost instantly loved due to his outlooks and goals for the club. However, has that much really changed? Southampton are now in the relegation zone and fighting hard to get out. Crystal Palace, Cardiff and Burnley were teams that Southampton needed to beat to be within any hope of not fighting an intense battle and, after only managing two points from nine, it’s hard to see any outcome other than relegation.
In their next three fixtures, Southampton are playing Manchester United, Fulham and Spurs. Realistically, Fulham is the only game where three points is a possibility. With 11 games to go, I can imagine it is starting to get hot and sweaty under Hasenhuttl’s collar as individual mistakes are costing his team very valuable points.
However, one thing that split the fans down the middle was his decision not to sign any players in the January transfer window. With injury-prone strikers and a shaky defence, strengthening may have been a better idea than believing in the players as, so far, they are not rewarding him. A recent trip to Tenerife with the squad was noted for some heat and altitude training. Time will tell if it is enough to save the Saints from relegation.
Midfield masterclass
There were many positives that Emery can take from the game against the Saints but a standout would be the tenacious working of the midfield. Every time that the ball was lost, which in this case was not very often, the working back to retain possession once more was fantastic. And once in possession, the movement off of the ball and passion to want the ball was really a joy to watch.
One player that really stood out in that already excellent midfield was Alex Iwobi. The Nigerian international worked incredibly hard on Sunday, playing a part in both of the goals. The two crosses put into the box were placed to perfection and his work off of the ball to win it back was inspiring – Iwobi is a real asset for Emery and this Arsenal side.
