Arsenal 2 - 1 Southampton: Result Perfect, Performance Dire
Arsenal snook a 2-1 win against Southampton with a last-gasp penalty thanks to Santi Cazorla. It was the perfect result, but a truly dire performance.
Arsenal played out a frustrating 2-1 win over Southampton on Saturday afternoon. It was a match that displayed many of the fears that fans had with this side when Alexis Sanchez was absent. The Chilean arrived late from international duty, and with the Paris Saint-Germain game on the horizon, Arsene Wenger chose it wiser to rest his star.
Mesut Ozil’s effectiveness diminished significantly with Southampton able to crowd the middle of the park, and thereby the space with which he could work in, due to the lesser threat of Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in wide areas.
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The Saints dominated the opening stages, breaking through with a deserved opener thanks to a Petr Cech own goal after he tipped a Dusan Tadic onto the bar and suffered the unfortunate consequences of the ball then rebounding off his back and into the net. However, the Gunners responded thanks to the wonders of an upside down Laurent Koscielny, who fired in the equaliser after 29 minutes.
It was break that Arsenal did not deserve – perhaps foreshadowing what was to come – but it was the break they needed. The game ended in dramatic fashion. After Shane Long missed a couple of good opportunities in the second half, Wenger threw on the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Alex Iwobi and Olivier Giroud in search of the equaliser. It was the latter who provided the winner.
The aerial prowess of the Frenchman caused problems in the closing stages, and with Jose Fonte grappling with the striker, Giroud tumbled with the Southampton defender – who had had an outstanding game up to that point – enjoying a fist full of his shirt. The penalty was a contentious one, and Arsenal can feel fortunate the decision fell their way, but in added time and the result on the line, Santi Cazorla duly stepped up and swept home the resulting spot kick.
This was not a good performance whatsoever. Slow, lethargic and lost would adept descriptions. Francis Coquelin, Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all struggled, while new boy Lucas Perez failed to have any impact on the game – though how much of that is his fault is arguable.
However, with Manchester City winning once again, victory was vital, and with a touch of luck and resilience, Arsenal got the perfect result. They will not win the league with performances like that, but a win is a win, and sometimes, that is all you can ask for.
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