Twitter erupts as Arsenal suffer blow in Premier League title race after frustrating 1-1 draw against Southampton

Arsenal were unable to grab all three points despite scoring an early opener against Southampton in their Premier League clash at Saint Mary's Stadium on Sunday (October 23). The 1-1 result will see them consolidate their position at the top of the table, but with only two points separating them from title defenders Manchester City.

The Gunners were the more dominating force from the onset, attacking with vibrance and intent, and it paid off almost effortlessly. After big chances from Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli within the first ten minutes, it was Granit Xhaka who opened the scoring for the visitors.

Much of the praise for the goal will go to Ben White, whose link-up with Bukayo Saka guided him down the right flank after getting past two Southampton defenders. The full-back squarred the ball into the area, where an unmarked Xhaka was on hand to meet the ball and fire it into the roof of the goal in the 11th minute.

Arsenal continued their exciting teamplay that saw them slice through the final third with impressive passing quality, but they could not double the scoreline in the first half. Southampton were stumped by their visitors, but were mostly saved by important goalkeeping efforts from Gavin Bazunu. The young shot-stopper played his part in ensuring that only one goal got past the Saints in the first half.

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Arsenal drop points following a lackluster second half performance

While the Gunners started off the first half with a flurry of attacking finesse and passion, their start to the second half reeked of complacency. However, for the Saints, there was a noticeable shift in eagerness, and the hosts started creating chances.

In the 60th minute, a big chance came for Arsenal to score another on the counter-attack, but they fluffed it. Martin Odegaard released Jesus with a brilliant pass, but the Samba forward couldn't get his shot off in time as Mohamed Elyounoussi slid the ball off the route.

Soon after, Southampton scored, much to the delight of their fans at the Saint Mary's Stadium. Once again, it was Elyounoussi who was vital as the midfielder snuck in a pass through Arsenal's defense for Stuart Armstrong to equalize five minutes after the hour mark. The goal gave the hosts the confidence they needed to attack, and they took the game to their visitors, getting close with a number of key chances.

Notably, Odegaard scored for the Gunners in the 79th minute, but the goal did not stand as the ball had gone out of play before the attacking midfielder received it. The former Real Madrid man sought out another chance late in the game, guiding the ball into Eddie Nketiah, but to no avail, as the Gunners were forced to share the spoils.

Here is how Twitter reacted to Arsenal's draw against Southampton:

The Gunners will next face PSV Eindhoven away in the UEFA Europa League on October 27.