Arsenal progressed to the fifth round of the FA Cup with a comfortable win over Southampton on Saturday. With Arsene Wenger watching from the stands, the Gunners cruised through a game they were in complete control of from start to finish.
An inexperienced Southampton side managed to gather none of the plucky courage that they displayed against Liverpool in their League Cup tie, with erroneous defending giving the impetus away early – something the visitors gladly took advantage of.
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Here are 5 talking points from the game:
#5 Ten changes made to the team sheet by each side
With Arsene Wenger and Claude Puel both putting out second string sides, Twitter lit up with jokes at the fading “magic of the cup”. No doubt both managers had an eye on the upcoming mid-week fixtures in the Premier League, but ringing in a full set of changes saw both sides mocked for setting up a contest to see who cared less about the competition.
Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – both formerly of Southampton – started against their former club at Saint Mary’s Stadium with Danny Welbeck continuing his return from injury with his first start of the season.
Shane Long was rewarded for his excellent solo strike against Liverpool in the League Cup with a start as the focal point of attack for the Saints.
Of course, the gamble worked out much better for one Frenchman than the other.
#4 Harry Lewis has a night to forget in goal
19-year-old Lewis didn’t get much assistance from his defence on a disappointing evening for the home side, but he didn’t help his image much, being at fault for at least three of the goals. For both of Welbeck’s goals, he was too eager to step off his line and was punished by some clinical finishing – the latter slipping between his legs and rolling through to the goal.
While he did make a couple of good saves in the second half, his side had cause to feel let down again when Walcott’s third goal slipped right past him as he dived the wrong way in spite of the ball being quite within his reach.
Arsenal fans would perhaps be grateful to him for sparing them some more “4” related jokes.
#3 Alexis Sanchez makes merry in a game of men vs boys
Coming on as a 64th-minute sub, Sanchez barely put a foot wrong and was a real thorn in the side of Southampton’s defence. They barely managed to take the ball off him, let alone deal with his pace, and he bagged two assists – both for Walcott.
More experienced defenders have struggled to contain Sanchez this season, and one can only feel for the young Saints back-line that were tasked with guarding against his fresh legs in the second half.
It will have done his confidence and Arsenal’s a world of good, an emphatic way to bounce back from the nail-biter against Burnley and Arsene Wenger’s touchline ban.
#2 Are Southampton going to regret selling Jose Fonte?
While it’s true there’s not much a club can do when a player with an expiring contract expresses a desire to leave, the importance of Fonte’s role at Southampton will have made his departure hurt that much more. While they coped quite alright without him against Liverpool, this performance will have left Puel wondering if he should be making some emergency phone calls to bring in a replacement, with Virgil van Dijk expected to miss up to three months’ action with the ankle injury he picked up against Leicester City.
The Saints are almost certain to finish mid-table this season, falling short of a European spot but will have to keep an eye over their shoulder in case they fail to recover from this defensive lapse.
#1 Goalscoring returns from injury for Danny Welbeck and Theo Walcott
Danny Welbeck’s last goal for Arsenal came almost exactly 9 months ago – on April 30th last year – and his joy at being back on the scoresheet was evident from his wide smile. The timing couldn’t have been better for Arsenal who are currently closest to league leaders Chelsea in the Premier League title race, as he provides another option in attack, in case plans A and B both fail to work.
Theo Walcott had three goals presented to him almost on a platter – one by Welbeck and two by Sanchez – and will cherish the memories of this comeback from a six-game layoff as well. It is unlikely that he will stake a claim again for the main striker’s role that he held briefly, but he will certainly be hoping to add some firepower to the Gunners’ title challenge.
