Southampton 1-1 Arsenal: Gunners miss chance to restore four-point lead after being held at St Mary's

Arsenal missed the chance to restore a four-point lead at the top of the Premier League as Southampton came from behind to draw 1-1 at St Mary's.

After Manchester City's 3-1 win over Brighton on Saturday, Arsenal knew only a win would be enough to regain a healthy advantage at the top of the table and they made the perfect start when Granit Xhaka's fine right-footed strike from a Ben White cross put them ahead in the 11th minute.

But despite their dominance in the first half, Arsenal's lead remained a slender one and they were made to pay when Stuart Armstrong's composed finish, following good work from Mohamed Elyounoussi, pulled Southampton level after the break (65).

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The result sees the Gunners move two points clear at the top but prevented their winning run from extending to nine games in all competitions.

"Complaints? No, no complaints," Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said.

"This is football and I think we were really, really good in the first half and controlled totally the game and created big chances that we didn't put away.

"In the Premier League, unfortunately, when you don't do that when you are on top of the game you can pay the price."

As for Southampton, their mini-revival continues. They are now unbeaten in three matches but stay 15th, three points above the relegation zone.

How Saints battled back to frustrate Gunners

Arsenal's last visit to St Mary's - a 1-0 loss - was the third of three consecutive damaging defeats in April which ultimately cost them Champions League qualification.

The Gunners travelled to the south coast on this occasion as the Premier League's early pacesetters and with progression from the Europa League group stage already assured.

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Arteta's men wasted little time in asserting their authority on the contest. Xhaka had already tested Southampton goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu during a dominant opening spell when he emphatically thumped a right-footed half-volley into the roof of the net from level with the penalty spot after the rampaging White played a one-two with Bukayo Saka and crossed from the right.

Southampton had ended a five-game winless run with a nervy 1-0 midweek victory at neighbours Bournemouth. Yet, with Che Adams - their match-winner at the Vitality Stadium - beginning on the bench due to a hamstring concern, they initially lacked an attacking threat.

Gabriel Jesus almost doubled Arsenal's lead just before the break but his volley, following neat interplay with captain Martin Odegaard, was pushed away by Bazunu.

The Brazilian forward, who was also denied a first-half penalty after appearing to be hauled down by Duje Caleta-Car, had another golden opportunity to give the Gunners breathing space on the hour mark but he dithered and was denied by a last-ditch tackle from Elyounoussi after breaking through on goal.

Elyounoussi then made another telling impact on the game as Saints levelled with their first meaningful attempt.

The Norway winger burst forward before delivering a perfectly-weighted through ball for recalled Scotland international Armstrong to calmly slip the ball beyond Aaron Ramsdale and into the bottom left corner for his first club goal since March.

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Arsenal thought they had claimed a 79th-minute winner through Odegaard but the ball was adjudged to have gone out of play before it was cut back by substitute Kieran Tierney.

Aside from the brief joy of Odegaard's disallowed effort, the Gunners rarely threatened to regain the lead as their title aspirations suffered a setback.

Southampton, meanwhile, earned an important point to further ease the pressure on under-fire boss Ralph Hasenhuttl.

Hasenhuttl praises Saints' mentality

Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl told Sky Sports: "We showed in the second half how competitive we are. In the first half, we were lucky to be only one goal down, but as long as you are only one goal down you are still in the game. Then you see what happens when you believe and put a lot of effort and passion in.

"It was amazing to watch the turnaround and mentality of the lads today because, in the end, we had them on the ropes and we could have won it.

"We didn't give a lot of chances away in the second half and had our chances in some good counter-attacks, and the goal was brilliant, a brilliant counter-attack.

"This is what we tried. We still tried with the ball to be brave in some moments. It didn't always work - it never always works against such top teams - but we tried it all the time and this was good to see, to be honest."

Asked about having to reshuffle his side due to recent injuries, he added: "We never speak about players we are missing. We never complain about injuries.

"We always trust the players on the pitch. We trust every player in our squad. When they are on the pitch they know what to do and this is the most important thing."

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Southampton goalscorer Stuart Armstrong said: "It was always going to be a hard game against good opposition. Not the perfect start for us and still, we had to defend and wait for counter-attacks, that was the rhythm of the game.

"But to get a point against a great team is obviously amazing for us."

Arteta: We made too many mistakes

Asked if he was frustrated with a draw on the south coast, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta told Sky Sports: "Yes, I am, especially with the big chances we created.

"The way we started and played in the first half, the game should have been in a different position, but credit to Southampton as well.

"We weren't as clean and consistent on the ball in the second half. We started to concede a lot of long throws and set-plays, which disrupted our game. We gave too many balls away and made too many unforced errors.

"Despite that, I think we created the two biggest chances in the second half, but unfortunately it wasn't enough to win the game."

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• Frustrated Arteta after Saints draw: We needed more courage

Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus said: "We started really well again. When we scored the goal, we kept playing our game, we created chances - I had a few chances in the first half also - so we can improve the level again, everyone as a team and as an individual.

"We have to concentrate more, focus more, be more aggressive with the ball, without the ball. We go home today a little bit upset because the way we played, we could have scored more goals and then won the game."

Analysis: Hasenhuttl deserves credit for tactical tweak

Sky Sports' Dan Sansom:

Ralph Hasenhuttl is used to pressure by now, but even the most cold-hearted Southampton fan would have surely let him off the hook had his side lost to table-topping Arsenal.

You got the feeling Wednesday night's game against Bournemouth was a must-win for the Austrian. Sunday's match against the Gunners, not so much.

A result against Arsenal at St Mary's looked more unlikely with the Saints missing two key defenders. It was slightly ironic they kept their first clean sheet of the season at the Vitality Stadium without arguably their most gifted centre-back in Armel Bella-Kotchap. His replacement Duje Caleta-Car rose to the challenge, but right-back Kyle Walker-Peters being forced off with a hamstring issue gave Hasenhuttl another selection headache ahead of the weekend.

The Southampton boss had a significant decision to make. Starting with a back four with Lyanco filling in at right-back, Arsenal's relentless pressure in the first half forced him to rethink - and he deserves huge credit.

He opted to change formation, with Mohamed Elyounoussi and Romain Perraud operating as wing-backs either side of a back three in Lyanco, Caleta-Car and Mohammed Salisu. It was a move that gave the hosts more stability and ultimately paid off as they earned an impressive point.

Hasenhuttl is undoubtedly still under scrutiny, but two draws and a win in just seven days have given him some much-needed breathing space.

Analysis: Arsenal stutter as fatigue sets in

Sky Sports' Zinny Boswell:

Arsenal rolled into St Mary's like a side top of the table that had won eight games on the bounce.

Once Granit Xhaka fired in the opener it felt inevitable that the floodgates would open. Southampton had no answer to the slick brand of football that has got so many people talking about Arsenal as serious contenders this season.

As the second half wore on, though, it became clear that Arsenal were unable to match the levels of intensity they had produced in the first half.

Arsenal's number of attempts on goal halved to four in the second half during which time they failed to register a single shot on target. Their fall-off was evident out of possession too, with their number of successful tackles dropping from nine to three after the break.

Mikel Arteta's side have been in title-winning form since the start of the season. The only question mark has been about the depth and durability in their squad and whether they will be able to contend with the rigours of one of the most taxing seasons ever owing to the winter World Cup.

Sunday's draw with Southampton was Arsenal's seventh match in 23 days and it showed.

Arsenal will be disappointed to drop two points, especially considering the chances they missed and the referee's decision to ignore calls for a penalty for a foul on Gabriel Jesus by Duje Caleta-Car. But they remain in a strong position, leading Man City by two points after 11 games.

This season's calendar is demanding on all teams. Competing at the top of the table and on all fronts makes it that much harder.

Finding a way to freshen up his squad will be of the utmost importance to Arteta if Arsenal's title push is to have any longevity this season. The fatigue is starting to set in.

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Opta stats: Rare draw for Gunners

• This was Arsenal's first Premier League draw since January (0-0 vs Burnley), ending a run of 27 league games without one.
• Southampton have won just one of their previous eight Premier League games against Arsenal (D3 L4), with that victory coming in this exact fixture last season.
• Southampton have gone three Premier League games without defeat (W1 D2) for the first time since February (a run of five).
• Arsenal failed to win a Premier League game in which they opened the scoring for the first time since New Year's Day (2-1 loss to Man City), having won 18 successive such matches before today.

What's next?

Southampton are back in action on Saturday when they travel to Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace in the Premier League (kick-off 3pm).

Hasenhuttl's side then welcome Newcastle to St Mary's on November 6, live on Sky Sports (kick-off 2pm).

Up next for Arsenal is a trip to PSV Eindhoven in the Europa League on Thursday (kick-off 5.45pm). The Gunners then host Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Sunday (kick-off 2pm).

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