For all Arsenal’s early dominance, it was Southampton who had the first shot on target, as Kyle Walker-Peters shot straight at David Raya from the edge of the area after the ball fell to him from a corner. Kai Havertz did head in from a routine Declan Rice corner for the hosts, but the goal was ruled out for a foul in the box.
The Gunners’ patience was clearly waning as they started to fire in wayward efforts from distance, but Thomas Partey’s strike did at least test ex-Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale as the score remained level at HT.
Gabriel Jesus curled just wide at the start of the second half, but the hosts’ wastefulness meant that Southampton could have gone ahead themselves when Mateus Fernandes struck onto the roof of the net after some neat work from Tyler Dibling.
A few minutes later, the Saints were in dreamland as Fernandes pinched the ball off Raheem Sterling in the midfield before releasing first-half substitute Cameron Archer, who curled beautifully into the bottom corner to break the deadlock.
Southampton’s lead did not last long though, as a familiar combination of Bukayo Saka and Havertz linked up, with the latter netting his seventh consecutive home goal with a fantastic finish off the post.
Saka was the architect once more as Mikel Arteta’s men completed a rapid turnaround, whipping in a wonderful cross for substitute Gabriel Martinelli to tap home at the back post - his seventh assist already in the league this season.
The Englishman’s deflected strike then stung Ramsdale’s palms as he looked to kill the game himself. While their disadvantage was slim, the visitors still had belief they could take something from the match, as Dibling’s effort struck the outside of the post. Havertz then hit the woodwork with a deflected shot, as the drama continued into the final stretches.
Saka, however, was having none of it, and he made no mistake from his next chance, sweeping into the far corner with his weaker right foot on an Arsenal break to put the result beyond doubt. The win extends the Gunners’ remarkable unbeaten run against Southampton to 29 games (W20, D9), subsequently inflicting the Saints’ seventh consecutive top-flight away defeat as they remain winless since returning to the top-flight.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
