Highlights: Arsenal 1-0 Southampton; Arsenal leave it late to break Southampton hearts

Danny Welbeck of Arsenal attempts to backheel the ball past Fraser Forster of Southampton

Arsenal laboured long and hard to scrape out a 1-0 victory at home against Southampton, courtesy a very late goal from their usual source of goals – Alexis Sanchez. The Chilean has now scored 8 goals in his last 8 matches, and 14 goals already this season for his new club.

Striker Danny Welbeck looked very lively throughout the match, and was foiled several times by the side-netting, Southampton goalkeeper Fraser Forster, and once by what cannot be called anything but poor shot-selection.

Southampton enjoyed their share of the chances as well, but their counter-attacks mostly ended in their strikers being wasteful.

As the match rolled on to the last half-hour, Arsenal launched increasingly persistant raids on the Southampton goal. Chances fell to Aaron Ramsey, Santiago Cazorla, and Olivier Giroud – who tested Forster within 5 minutes of coming on in the 64th minute for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Disaster struck the visitors in the 84th minute when defender Toby Alderweireld left the field clutching his hamstring. Southampton, having used up all three available substitutions, were condemned to try and hold fort for the final stretch with a one-man disadvantage.

As if smelling blood, Arsenal pushed their game up by another notch. Giroud’s header from close range brought forth another save from Forster in the 87th minute. Only one minute later, the Southampton defence was left all-thumbs as Alexis Sanchez slotted in Ramsey’s pass into an open net.

There was a blatant handball inside the penalty box in the lead-up to the goal, and there would have been a fair bit of controversy had Sanchez not been Arsenal’s saviour again.

With the result, Southampton hold on to 3rd position but are looking over their shoulders at several teams. Only 4 points separate them from 7th placed Swansea City. Southampton still have the best defensive record in the league, but their tally of seven away league goals is the fewest among the Premier League's top seven.

Arsenal climb up to 6th place with their first big scalp of the season, and are well and truly in the thick of things as far as the top spots in the league go.

Arsenal 1-0 Southampton: Sanchez (89’)