Southampton Away Match View

YOUNG GUNS HAVING SOME FUN

SOUTHAMPTON 0 ARSENAL 2

ARSENAL FINALLY GOT their season back up and running yesterday evening with a hard-fought win in the searing heat at Southampton.

Following two poor defeats since the restart just over a week ago, this was a game where we needed to see a response. And thanks to young Academy graduates Eddie Nketiah and Joe Willock, that is exactly what we got.

Nketiah, a surprising choice to lead the line, scored the opener after closing down Saints goalkeeper Alex McCarthy and rolling the ball into an empty net, before substitute Willock smashed home the second after McCarthy had failed to hold an effort from fellow replacement Alex Lacazette.

After everything had seemingly been going against us in the previous two matches it was nice to see a few decisions go our way for a change and to get a little bit of luck. 

Let us hope it has not all come in one game.

Manager Mikel Arteta had received much criticism in the last few days following those two losses, but he was delighted with the team’s attitude. Speaking to Arsenal.com, Arteta said:

“It’s been tough the last four days, not just the way we lost both games but for the amount of injuries and the things that’s happened in the last few days.

“Today they all played together, enjoyed playing together and I like the way they all defended each other as well.

“I was really, really happy with the subs, their attitude, they way they came onto the pitch to help their teammates, so I am happy.

“There is still a lot of things to improve with the ball that I am not particularly happy with, but we got the points and I am happy”

Arteta made four changes to the side that had thrown away the lead at Brighton on Saturday. Kieran Tierney came back into the defence, Granit Xhaka returning from injury in midfield, and Nketiah replacing Lacazette up front. Meanwhile Emi Martinez started in goal in place of the injured Bernd Leno.

It was interesting that Matteo Guendouzi was left out of the squad altogether following his ill-discipline at the weekend, although Arteta would only say it was for squad management reasons. 

Not that anyone was buying that. The Spaniard demands high standards from his players so hopefully this will be a lesson for the young hot-headed midfielder.

As it turned out his absence led to a far more discipled midfield display. 

Although he gets a lot of stick from the fans, there is no doubt that Xhaka’s presence gives the midfield more balance and he was outstanding in this match once again.

The formation was a flexible 4-3-3, although with Tierney often tucked inside to form a back three it gave Buyako Saka the freedom to attack down the left.

Arsenal started well and had the ball in the net early on when Nketiah tapped home following a low cross from Saka, but the assistant referee had already flagged for offside, a decision backed up by VAR.

Nketiah’s movement off the ball is outstanding for a young striker and it is no coincidence that many of his goals have been tap ins from close range. He is a real fox-in-the-box who can sniff out chances with a maturity way beyond his years.

Captain Pierre-Emrick Aubameyang, without a goal since February, hit the bar after breaking clear down the left when he really ought to have done better. 

He has certainly not looked his best in front of goal since the restart, perhaps his mind is elsewhere with him still not reaching an agreement over a new contract.

But this had been a good start from the team in yellow and we did take a deserved lead after 20 minutes.

Nketiah chased down a back pass and anticipated McCarthy’s attempted ball out from the back, leaving him with the easy task of rolling the ball into the empty net. 

With four goals since he returned from loan at Leeds United in January, Eddie is fast developing into a potential match winner.

Having also lead just 60 miles up the A27 at Brighton at the weekend before conceding two late goals, this advantage was an extremely slender one.

Saints were close to an equaliser before the break when Danny Ings, the scourge of us many times before, drilled a low cross across the area which Stuart Armstrong only just failed to get the vital touch.

The second half was more backs-to-the-wall for Arsenal as Southampton threw everything at us. It was a nervous time as had they scored it would been difficult, but we defended with much more concentration and determination than at the weekend. 

The partnership between Shkodran Mustafi and Rob Holding looked solid and behind them Martinez made a great save to deny Shane Long, another who always seems to score against us.

Having been criticised for his substitutions in recent matches, Arteta made the right calls this time. Willock replaced the worryingly ineffective Nicolas Pepe before Lacazette came on for Nketiah, who had run himself into the ground. And the two combined for the late, match clinching second goal.

The move had started with more calamitous defending from Southampton as Aubameyang seized on a short back pass and got the wrong side of defender Jack Stephens, who’s last-ditch challenge was deemed a professional foul by referee, Graham Scott, who showed him a red card.

Lacazette’s free kick hit the wall but his follow up effort stung the hands of McCarthy and Willock followed up to smash home his first Premier League for the club, following in the footsteps of legends such as Ian Wright, Theirry Henry and Marc Overmars who also opened their league accounts for the club away at Southampton, although they were all at the Dell.

This was by no means the perfect performance but from small acorns There was much to be admired, such as the togetherness of the team and the determined defending when under pressure in the second half. 

So, a first away victory in the league for Arteta at the seventh attempt, and a long-awaited clean sheet, only the fifth in his 13 league matches in charge.

European football, which looked out of reach after Brighton, is now very much back on again. In fact, fifth place which could even be enough for Champions League qualification is only six points away, although it would probably require snookers for us to catch both Wolves and Manchester United in the run-in.

Attention now turns to the FA Cup quarter final at Sheffield United on Sunday. What a great start it would be for Arteta if he could lift a trophy in his season, following in the footsteps of George Graham all the way back in 1987. 

That Littlewoods Cup success paved the way for Arsenal to overturn the Liverpool dominance of the league within two years. A repeat in 2022 would be something now wouldn’t it??