Arsenal came back from two goals down as they produced one of the high-scoring football scores of the weekend in the Premier League. After goals from Carlos Alcaraz (goal no. 1), Theo Walcott (goal no. 14), and Duje Caleta-Car (goal no. 66) put Ruben Selles’ team within minutes of a first Premier League away victory against the Gunners, the Gunners were facing at a crushing defeat to the relegation-threatened Saints. Martin Odegaard appeared to have scored a consolation two minutes from time after Gabriel Martinelli’s first-half goal had failed to inspire a comeback, but it really started a miraculous Arsenal comeback, with Bukayo Saka scoring the equalizer in the last second.
Fans who had left the Emirates early raced back to their seats in response to the late drama, but despite constant pressure—Leandro Trossard hit the crossbar—their stunning comebacks against Bournemouth and Aston Villa were not to be repeated. With three consecutive draws, Arsenal will have a five-point advantage heading into their matchup against champions Manchester City on Wednesday. However, the Citizens currently have the upper hand in the Premier League title battle because they have two games in hand.
Even before many Arsenal supporters had a chance to take their seats, their team had already fallen behind. Alcaraz scored his third Premier League goal in the first 30 seconds after custodian Aaron Ramsdale, a key player in the Gunners’ title challenge, riskily passed the ball out to him. Being behind energized the home crowd, but after only a quarter of an hour, they were left stunned as Walcott, a former member of their parish, sprinted in behind to double Southampton’s lead with a precise finish.
Six minutes later, Martinelli expertly volleyed Saka’s cross to bring Arsenal back into the game. A tangible sense of relief echoed throughout the stadium, but Southampton remained a threat. Ramsdale made up for his early error by making two saves in quick succession to stop Mohamed Elyounoussi from scoring and Alcaraz from adding a third. Arsenal believed they had equalized in the final seconds of the first half, but Ben White’s looping header was well cleared off the line by Alcaraz, giving Southampton the lead going into the break.
With Arsenal struggling and Southampton’s Caleta-Car, who had come on in the first half to replace the injured Jan Bednarek, heading in unopposed at the far post after Arsenal failed to deal with a corner, Southampton scored again. In an effort to create a thrilling finish, Arteta substituted Trossard, Eddie Nketiah, and Reiss Nelson. However, after Gabriel Jesus squandered a few good opportunities, it was skipper Odegaard’s curled finish that gave them hope.
Nelson’s low shot was stopped by Bazunu, but Saka reacted quickly and scored just before Trossard’s attempt from the edge of the box ricocheted against the woodwork. James Ward-Prowse then bravely blocked an effort from Nelson as Saints hung on for a point, leaving Arsenal to lament yet another missed opportunity to widen the gap between themselves and City.
“It took enormous courage for us to play the way we did. When we gave up another careless goal on a set play, we were already headed back, but at the very end, we ought to have won. We provided enough openings and chances, but nothing materialized, so we are undoubtedly dissatisfied,” Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said. “In this league, three goals allowed is unacceptable. It’s really challenging to win games if you give up three goals in a really careless manner which we did. Despite the fact that we only scored three while really needing five or six, we were unable to secure the victory.”
“We came here with the purpose to perform well, win the game, and demonstrate that we are still a viable club. I guess we succeeded. We made it clear from the start that we wanted to press hard. We quickly scored our first goal and kept playing,” Southampton boss Ruben Selles said. “Because they have so much talent and so many methods to release your initial pressure, teams like Arsenal and Man City can be incredibly challenging to play against, but I believe we were there. We demonstrated various character variations.”
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