Southampton 1-1 Arsenal – Match Report

Southampton manager Ralf Hasenhüttl made three changes to his side after Wednesday night’s 1-0 win against Bournemouth.

Injured right-back Kyle Walker-Peters was replaced by Lyanko, while Ibrahim Diallo came on for Ainsley Maitland-Niles, who was ineligible to play against his hometown club.

Forward Che Adams scored at the Vitality Stadium but was left on the bench with a hamstring problem. Stuart Armstrong started instead.

Bukayo Saka was a sub in Arsenal’s 1-0 Europa League win over PSV Eindhoven but started at St Mary’s, meaning the Gunners were unchanged from last weekend’s win over Leeds at Elland Road .

Oleksandr Zinchenko is again absent from Mikel Arteta’s squad due to a shin injury.

The Gunners could have overcame 1-0 at half-time thanks to an 11th-minute goal from revamped midfielder Granit Xhaka, wasting more chances as the league leaders got off to an impressive start.

But the Saints improved much after the break, equalizing Stuart Armstrong’s first goal of the season in the 65th minute as the hosts took the game to Arsenal.

The visitors, desperate to regain their four-point lead from the weekend, were looking for a winner and thought they had found it thanks to Martin Odegaard, but the ball went wide and the Saints were still looking for a winner. , settling for one point that would see them go three games undefeated.

After a 1-0 win over Bournemouth in midweek, Ralf Hasenhüttl made three changes to his squad and all the changes have been made.

Kyle Walker-Peters was ruled out of Vitality Stadium with a hamstring injury, while Che Adams was fit enough to take the bench after suffering a hamstring problem just days after the last Saints game. Furthermore, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, who is on loan from Arsenal, was not eligible to play against his parent club.

He marked a tactical change as Lianko moved to right back, with Ibrahima Diallo and Stuart Armstrong entering the Saints’ midfield, with Joe Arbaugh moving on to join Adam Armstrong up front.

Starting the game with nine wins from their first ten league appearances, Arsenal were full of confidence and pulled away from the Saints in the opening minutes.

Gavin Bazounu was parried by Gabriel Jesus in the first minute, but an offside flag was raised in hindsight before an excellent cross from Bukayo Saka narrowly escaped defender Gabriel at the far post.

Bazunou was soon busy again, blocking Xhaka’s low shot from a tight angle with his feet, before the Swiss became the provider for Edegaard, who should have done better than deflect his first attempt from 18 yards.

Arsenal’s quick start was duly rewarded in the 11th minute when Ben White’s cross was mercilessly timed by Xhaka, who lobbed the ball high into the net past Bazuna, who never had a chance to save it.

The goal gave the Saints some breathing space as the hosts began to enjoy constant possession for the first time, but the Arsenal striker has explosive pace and the visitors were a constant threat on the counter-attack.

When Odegard released Jesus, the Brazilian entered the shooting area, but releasing his left foot the angle was narrow and he hit the side post.

Saka cleaned after another early break but trying to dive into Duje Ćaleta-Car the England international fell and demanded a touch from the defender and referee Robert Jones warned his side not to dive.

A series of corners in the last ten minutes of half-time gave Arsenal some awkward moments when James Ward-Prowse headed in front of the box, but the visitors could see them all.

Saints could have been relieved to go into the break, still very much alive after Gabriel Martinelli’s shot went wide and then Jesus stole the smart face of Ødegaard who should have scored but found his shot straight to Bazunu.

Shots on goal from the Hasenhüttl team were rare, but Aribo was able to persuade Romain Perraud to take a rare shot on goal from Stuart Armstrong with a very tight work on the corner flag, but the Scot’s shot was not convincing.

Slowly but surely, the Saints gained confidence after the break, with Perraud providing a consistent exit down the left and Adam Armstrong’s diligence getting the ball to his teammates.

A Stuart Armstrong cross had caught Mohamed Elyounoussi on his heels when he felt a touch at the far post, but the Norwegian more than made up for it with an outstanding late save and rushed to dispossess Jesus when the striker was in action. shot down by architect Arsenal Ødegaard.

It was the same Saints attacking combination that shattered the Gunners’ lead after 20 minutes of the second half and got St Mary’s back on their feet.

Perraud again led the break, ignoring Adam Armstrong’s run which made room for Elyounoussi on the right. The midfielder carried the ball into the box, spotted Stuart Armstrong on the run and flicked a pass behind the defense for the Scot to finish with exceptional composure, sending the ball first past Aaron Ramsdale and into the far corner before the keeper could do so Matter. was established.

It was like every Saints player got a confidence boost. Suddenly, the home side were on the run as Perraud attempted a bold half-volley that went over the bar before clipping the ball back to Aribo, who deflected his shot into a crowded box but Ramsdale saved.

Hasenhüttl freshened things up shortly after, introducing Adams and Theo Walcott, the latter for the first time this season, for Adam Armstrong and Aribo.

With play suspended, Arsenal were keen to make a point three and thought they had done so eleven minutes from time when substitute Kieran Tierney clipped the ball wide for Ødegaard to send home the penalty spot. They were broken when Jones felt the ball was built too short.

Hasenhüttl’s third substitute, Samuel Edozie, breathed new offensive momentum in the closing stages as the Saints gave their best, but the hosts were happy to take a share of the spoils for an Arsenal side who arrived at St Mary’s with a near-perfect record.

                      4-4-2                                                                                  4-3-3

Scorers:

Bookings:

Referee: Robert Jones

Venue: St. Mary’s Stadium, Southampton

Player of the Match: Granit Xhaka (Arsenal)