Premier League Recap: Arsenal Slip in Frustrating Draw against Southampton
Image Credit: Arsenal.com
LONDON — Arsenal’s flying start to the 2022/23 Premier League season hit a pothole in the road as the Gunners flew out of the Hampshires with a 1-1 draw from their match against Southampton. Granit Xhaka’s half-volley in the 11th minute wouldn’t be enough after Stuart Armstrong put his effort past Ramsdale in the 65th minute.
Arsenal went into this game sitting on top of the Premier League table with just a point between them and second-place Manchester City after the Cityzens had a convincing 3-1 victory against Brighton. The Gunners had a chance to keep the gap at 4 points to continue their race for the title. They came off a 1-0 win over PSV in the Europa League on Thursday evening. They also managed a 1-0 win over Leeds United in their last Premier League outing.
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Seeing as Southampton is only competing in the Premier League, their last game was away against Bournemouth, where they won 1-0. The Saints were in 18th place going into this match, and manager Ralph Hasanhuttl had to get his team out of the relegation zone.
Southampton played a classic 4-4-2 formation, with Banzunu in goal, Perrard and Vojnovic in the full-back positions, and Salisu and Caleta playing between them. Diallo and Ward-Prowse operated in the center of the pitch with Stuart Armstrong and Elyounoussi and the flanks, and Aribo and Adam Armstrong playing up top in a strike partnership.
Arsenal made an interesting formation change, playing a 4-1-4-1. Ramsdale was the man in goal, Tomiyasu played out left and Ben White on the right, with Gabriel and Saliba in the heart of the defense, Partey was the sole man in the defensive half of the midfield, with Xhaka playing a more advanced role alongside Odegaard, with Saka playing on the right wing and Martinelli on the left wing. Gabriel Jesus was the main man up top.
The Gunners started the game off strong, landing a few chances within the first few minutes. However, Granit Xhaka opened the scoring in the 11th minute, thanks to a cross from Ben White on the right flank. Arsenal would continue to threaten the Saint’s goal, but they held firm up to the end of the first half.
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Everything changed in the second half, with the Saints taking the game by the scruff of the neck and beginning to take control of the game. The Gunners had two decent chances in the opening 15 minutes of the half, but Southampton responded well.
First, they played an attack on the flank, giving Elyounoussi space to make a run into the Gunners’ half. He then played a through ball into Stuart Armstrong, who put the ball just underneath Ramsdale’s arm and into the back of the night. Following the goal, Mikel Arteta urged his team to stay focused.
Image Credit: Southamptonfc.com
The Saints continued to pepper Ramsdale’s goal with several attempts but couldn’t get the ball in the net. Then, in the 78th minute, Arsenal launched a counterattack through Tierney on the flank. He played the ball to the goal line and sent it to the middle, where it found Odegaard, who took no time to smash it into the back of the net. However, the goal was overturned after further inspection indicated that the ball had completely crossed the line before Tierney could make his cross. Arsenal would get two more chances through Nketiah and from a throw-in from Partey, but it would be inevitable as the Gunners had to settle for a 1-1 draw.
This was by far one of Arsenal’s least convincing displays so far this season. The Gunners had the ability to win this game by many goals but failed to score more than once with their 12 shots. While the London side had a decent first half, the second half was far from convincing. The Saints were given too many chances, and the Gunners suffered because of it, along with the wasting of many good chances.
There were a few question marks regarding the formation change and the team selection. Kieren Tierney instantly brought his spark the moment he came on. Granit Xhaka may have scored the only goal, but there should also be goals from others in the attack, such as Gabriel Jesus. Arteta will have a lot to think about for the Gunners’ next game against Nottingham Forest, who recently beat Liverpool 1-0.
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