Another solid home performance and a return to winning ways. It was very important for us to get back on track after a disappointing defeat at Old Trafford and show the same character that we have a number of times already this season. Beating Southampton has been very difficult this season; it was only their second defeat of the season and along the way they’ve beaten Liverpool and drawn with United away and won a lot of praise for the way they’ve done it. They deserve all the plaudits they’re getting at the moment and as such, I think it’s a great result for us.
Southampton’s play this season has been characterised by high intensity pressing high up the pitch. They eat up the space and try to choke teams early on, giving no time on the ball and trying to force mistakes. We struggled with it for 10 minutes or so, as most teams have when faced with it and we just had to take a bit of time to adjust to it. Quick passing and pacey, decisive counter-attacking is what’s needed against Southampton’s style and we eventually started to get to grips with the lack of time and space. The away side also organise themselves well when the play is in their final third; as soon as a pass goes backwards, they shift forward, pressing the attackers to move the ball back to the defence.
Our first big chance game on 11 minutes. The quick passing had started to work and Wilshere nipped into the area. With literally no angle to work with, he clipped the ball beautifully over the keeper, only to see the effort bounce off the inside of the post and into the arms of Boruc. It deserved a goal and started a good spell for us in the game, where we got on top of Southampton and started picking holes in the defence. Five minutes later we hit the woodwork again. Özil mesmerised the Southampton defenders on the right and played a stunning pass into the box, which Ramsey audaciously flicked onto the far post. Again we deserved a goal and for all Southampton’s impressive pressing and organisation, we looked very capable of scoring.
Referee Mark Clattenburg was somewhat vexing the home crowd with his propensity to favour Southampton in every 50:50 challenge. Victor Wanyama in particular was allowed to get away with ridiculous challenges; on one occasion he simply smashed Wilshere on the edge of the area and was allowed to just play on as if nothing happened. However, Giroud had merely to breathe on the midfielder and a freekick was awarded without hesitation. It really aided Southampton in disrupting our rhythm and breaking up the play.
However, there is nothing anyone can do when a Goalkeeper completely loses his marbles and Artur Boruc certainly lost all of his. Akin to a drunk thinking he can fly, the Polish keeper received a back pass and decided that the best way to avoid Giroud’s closing him down was a series of clumsy pirouettes and botched Cruyff turns. Eventually Giroud poked the ball away, Boruc fell on his arse and Arsenal had the lead. The Frenchman was offered a shiny gift with a nice bow on it and he didn’t pass it up. Although it was a lucky goal to get, Giroud did really well, he could have easily dived in and given away a foul, but he stayed on his feet and nipped in at the right time. Deservedly 1-0 up, but not in the fashion we’d expect.
Southampton reacted well to what must have been a huge kick in the teeth after a good start. They threatened a lot more and we found it very difficult to hold on to possession. We had to work really hard at the back as Southampton have some quick players and their full-backs are very good at supporting the attacks and offering width. They’re also a threat from set pieces, with players like Lambert ready to pounce on any slack defending. It was from a corner that they came the closest, the initial cross being fended off before Arteta fluffed a clearance and allowed Lallana to test Szczesny with a dangerous volley. Southampton continued to press but didn’t really threaten and it remained 1-0 at the break.
The second half was a bit boring to be honest. Both sides struggled to impose themselves on the game. Arsenal showed some good play, but not much end product and Southampton only looked threatening on the break. Osvaldo and Lallana both had tame shots comfortably saved and Koscielny was forced to produce a very good sliding tackle to keep the away side at bay. There was about 10-15 minutes where Southampton looked like they might work their way back into the game, but we stayed composed and worked hard to reassert ourselves.
Theo Walcott was given a rapturous reception as he made his return from injury with 20 minutes left and hopefully he can provide the pace and width we’ve been missing recently. It’ll hopefully be good for two other players too, Mesut Özil will have someone to look for running in behind and Bacary Sagna will hopefully have to bare less of the attacking load. However, he didn’t have much involvement in this game, the play rarely went down the right hand side and his contribution was fairly minimal.
The decisive blow was struck in the 85th minute. Arsenal won a corner and as it came in Jose Fonte tried to take Mertesacker’s shirt off and for once the referee saw and punished it. It’s the sort of penalty that should be given but never is and it’s nice to finally get a decent decision. Giroud stepped up and put the penalty away with ease, sealing the three points for the Gunners.
It’s a tricky fixture negotiated and we’re back on track after a brief hiccup. It means we stay four points clear no matter what after Liverpool could only draw in the Merseyside derby. It wasn’t vintage, but we got the job done and we deserved the win. It’s results like this that give the foundation for success and if we keep stringing these results together we can make a good go at the title. Thoughts now turn to Tuesday night and a home tie against Marseille that could see us qualify with a game to go. Until then.
Stat of the game: Per Mertesacker won all 5 of his Aerial duels. Beast.
Teams
Arsenal (4-2-3-1)Szczesny, Sagna, Koscielny, Mertesacker, Gibbs, Arteta (Rosicky 74′), Ramsey, Cazorla (Walcott 70′), Özil (Monreal 81′), Wilshere, GiroudSubsVermaelen, Rosicky, Walcott, Monreal, Fabianski, Bendtner, Gnabry
Southampton (4-4-1-1)Boruc, Clyne, Shaw (Davis 45′), Schneiderlin, Fonte ?, Hooiveld ?, Ward-Prowse, Wanyama ?, Lambert, Lallana (Osvaldo 54′), RodriguezSubsYoshida, Davis, Osvaldo, Chambers, Gazzaniga, Reed, Gallagher
Player Ratings
| Szczesny | 8/10 | Has been one of our most consistent performers this season. Solid |
| Sagna | 8/10 | Unbelievably solid and professional. Sign him up |
| Mertesacker | 8/10 | Wunderbar! |
| Koscielny | 8/10 | Trés bien! |
| Gibbs | 8/10 | Showing fantastic maturity and no small amount of talent too |
| Arteta | 6/10 | Not at his best, constantly pressured by the Saints midfield |
| Ramsey | 7/10 | A little quiet by his standards, unlucky not to have scored yet again |
| Cazorla | 7/10 | Still looking for his best form, but it will come |
| Özil | 7/10 | So effortless and majestic and he isn’t even on top form |
| Wilshere | 8/10 | Had a really good game for me, sharp and threatening |
| Giroud | 8/10 | Pounced well for his first and tucked away a simple penalty |
| Subs | ||
| Walcott | 6/10 | Peripheral but good to see him back |
| Rosicky | 7/10 | In great form atm and a great option off the bench and starting |
| Monreal | 7/10 | Won’t be entirely happy with his role, but doing a great job off the bench |
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