This will not have been plain crusing, however Arsenal will hardly care.
Mikel Arteta’s facet responded emphatically to falling behind towards newly promoted opponents to rattle in three second-half objectives and preserve their problem on the prime of the Premier League.
That they needed to get well a deficit felt a shock in itself. Southampton, whose final league win at Arsenal got here in November 1987, had defended stoutly via the primary half and would possibly even have led via Mateus Fernandes after wonderful work from Tyler Dibling after the break. But the hosts didn’t heed that warning.
Moments later, Fernandes despatched Cameron Archer away and the ahead minimize in from the left flank to fizz a low shot past David Raya and into the far nook.
That concession served to evoke Arsenal, with Flynn Downes shortly surrendering possession and Kai Havertz smashing in an equaliser. The German was equipped by the wonderful Bukayo Saka, who repeated that trick for Gabriel Martinelli — escaping a good offside test to volley the house facet’s second from shut vary.
Not that the guests let issues peter out after that. The promising Dibling noticed a shot deflected onto a publish, and so they additionally struck the bar within the mess on the resultant nook, earlier than Saka accomplished the scoring with a purpose of his personal.
Jordan Campbell dissects the principle speaking factors from one other entertaining afternoon on the Emirates stadium.
Have Arsenal realized classes from final season?
Mikel Arteta stated on Friday that his father is all the time reminding him that it’s the factors dropped towards lesser sides that has price Arsenal within the final two seasons.
It appeared like they may have been about to journey up once more after they fell 1-0 behind however, as they did final weekend after they bounced again from letting a two-goal lead slip towards Leicester, Arteta’s staff moved again up via the gears after they wanted to.
It was a trait they lacked within the spell final December after they misplaced back-to-back video games to West Ham and Fulham. Even within the defeats to Newcastle and Aston Villa they didn’t present psychological resilience after they fell behind.
These video games fizzled out. In distinction, right here Arsenal appeared angered; offended that one other staff ought to suppose they will beat them on their very own patch.
Saka celebrates the hosts’ third purpose (Shaun Botterill/Getty Pictures)
Not all video games can develop into this taxing — it should take its toll throughout a complete season — but it surely was one other check of character handed and the power of the bench was confirmed as soon as extra.
The second-half flurry of objectives ensured Arsenal sealed their four-hundredth dwelling win within the Premier League period, changing into simply the second membership to achieve that landmark and increasing their unbeaten run towards newly promoted sides at dwelling to 41.
Havertz relishes life as Arsenal’s most important man
After rifling in his equaliser, Kai Havertz sprinted again to the midway line and waved his arms in an try to persuade his staff and the house crowd into motion. It was onerous to imagine this was the identical languid determine who typically appeared like he was within the flawed film in the course of the first half of final season.
However Havertz was the driving power for a lot of the second half, within the thick of the motion profitable the ball again and attacking corners. As soon as criticised for being on the periphery, this was him being the protagonist in Arsenal’s comeback.
Havertz converts Arsenal’s first purpose of the afternoon (Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC through Getty Pictures)
His stature with the staff was highlighted by the very completely different aura round Gabriel Jesus, who solely lasted an hour.
The Brazilian began up entrance within the Premier League for the primary time in 12 video games. He has misplaced his standing as first-choice and the hole in effectivity between him and Havertz was stark.
There was nonetheless the odd second of magic along with his twisting and turning, however he struggled to make an influence on the sport and tended to overcomplicate the final motion within the last third, together with his final contact earlier than being subbed when he did not make a decisive selection in a promising two-versus-one situation.
Arsenal are a extra related staff with Havertz as the point of interest — he has now scored at dwelling in six successive video games. Arteta believes he could be the primary Arsenal participant to interrupt the 20-goal barrier in 5 years.
Taking part in with this conviction, the chances look promising.
Gabriel Jesus endured a irritating afternoon (Clive Mason/Getty Pictures)
Did Thomas Partey initially stymie Bukayo Saka?
There was a well-recognized sample to Arsenal’s assaults within the first half, and a well-recognized groan from the West Stand when it invariably led them nowhere.
Bukayo Saka noticed a lot of the ball on the suitable wing, however he had extra than simply Kyle Walker-Peters for firm. Southampton doubled — typically tripled — up on him.
He would jink each methods looking for a yard of house however, most of the time, he needed to settle for the numbers and play the ball again to Thomas Partey, who was filling in at right-back.
Partey was requested to play at right-back (Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC through Getty Pictures)
With Ben White and Jurrien Timber dominated out and Takehiro Tomiyasu solely returning to the bench after damage, Arteta needed to provide you with an alternate.
Fairly than shift the left-footed Riccardo Calafiori over to the alternative facet, as he did within the second half towards PSG on Tuesday, he dropped Partey again from midfield.
This wasn’t fully new to him. He had began at right-back within the first two video games of final season, albeit charged with inverting into midfield.
Right here, he performed a extra constrained position but it surely really stymied Arsenal down the suitable flank for lengthy intervals of that first half. With no overlapping full-back to help him, Saka too typically lacked the decoys wanted to create room, which was a giant consider Arsenal solely registering their first shot on course within the forty sixth minute.
But conserving Saka quiet is proving past most opponents this season. The England winger nonetheless assisted the primary two objectives and hammered in considered one of his personal to finish the win — proof of how, even when his all-round recreation shouldn’t be at its fluent greatest, he’s nonetheless Arsenal’s difference-maker.
Saka might initially have been impeded, however ended up prevailing (Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC through Getty Pictures)
How did Aaron Ramsdale fare on his return?
The primary return to a former membership is rarely simple, particularly in case you are a goalkeeper and the person who stole your gloves is up the opposite finish.
This was a giant day for Aaron Ramsdale, who made the everlasting swap to Southampton this summer season.
He stated this week he had grown bored with the cameras being on him within the stands as a lot as they have been on Raya between the sticks in the course of the latter levels of his stint at Arsenal, however the twin narrative was inescapable.
There have been hugs within the tunnel earlier than the sport along with his former team-mates, together with a heat embrace with Raya, however there would have been nerves too.
Ramsdale applauds the house help on his Arsenal return (Rene Nijhuis/MB Media/Getty Pictures)
It could have been anticipated that Arsenal would put him below immense strain on the ball to check his confidence, however they stood off him when he had possession and solely pressured him into his first save on the stroke of half-time.
The larger checks got here from nook kicks, Arsenal’s well-known weapon. He is aware of all in regards to the blocking ploys enacted on opposition goalkeepers and he largely dealt with the deliveries effectively, aggressively coming off his line to intercept. He didn’t all the time get there, but it surely was solely within the second half that he was made to essentially work. He was helpless for all three objectives.
Within the first half, the Southampton followers chanted “He left ‘trigger your s***” however, come the 98th minute, it was the house crowd bellowing his identify in a present of appreciation for his contribution to the membership. At full-time, Arteta made positive he was the primary participant he went onto the pitch to hug.
GO DEEPER
Ramsdale faces a struggle towards relegation but it surely was a big gamble he was prepared to take
What did Mikel Arteta say?
On the efficiency: “First half I assumed it was distinctive. The quantity of dominance that we had… it’s unbelievable we didn’t rating a purpose. Then the sport grew to become extra open and so they scored. We threw away the sport and we had a brand new recreation. However we managed to do it once more. The get up name was that we conceded a purpose. The way in which we dominated the sport you have to rating three, 4 or 5. If we don’t we have to rating.”
On whether or not Saka is demonstrating extra management high quality: “For positive. That’s the maturity and people are the steps that gamers must do. He’s been within the staff lengthy sufficient to have that position. While you wish to be on the prime gamers must make these moments to vary the sport. He did that once more.”
What subsequent for Arsenal?
Saturday, October 19: Bournemouth (A), Premier League, 5.30pm UK, 12.30pm ET
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(High photograph: Adrian Dennis/AFP through Getty Pictures)
