Arsenal 3-1 Southampton

Bukayo Saka inspired Arsenal to victory over Southampton as they came from behind to win 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal were frustrated by the persistent visitors in the first half and fell behind soon after the break when substitute Cameron Archer found the bottom corner after a Saints counter.

However, the goal sparked an immediate response from Arsenal as Saka stole possession to give the lead to Kai Havertz, who guided a fine finish past Aaron Ramsdale to score for the seventh home game in a row.

The turnaround was complete when Saka’s diagonal cross was converted by substitute Gabriel Martinelli, with the goal surviving a VAR check for offside, before Saka pounced on another Saints error to convert Arsenal’s third and wrap up the win.

Arsenal, loose early on after a first Premier League start to Raheem Sterling and a first start of the season to Gabriel Jesus, had to endure more nervous moments between their second and third goals, with Tyler Dibling beating the post and a David Raya punch from a corner and bounce back onto the bar.

But in the end, the deserved winners were left behind, having scored 29 shots. The win left them one point behind leaders Liverpool and left Southampton waiting for a first win, despite an improved result after their 3-1 defeat to Bournemouth.

Analysis: Saka steps up again

Mikel Arteta played a front four with a total of 279 goals and 158 assists in the Premier League, but it was the youngest member of the quartet who really stepped up.

This was another excellent performance from Saka, who at 23 is still the player Arsenal look to in their tough moments. His pair of assists took him to seven in the Premier League this season. At the time of writing, no one else has more than four.

Saka’s goal removed any danger from the final few minutes of the match and followed an equally important goal in Tuesday’s Champions League victory over Paris Saint-Germain.

A closer look at the numbers underlines the extraordinary extent of his influence over the Saints.

After having seven shots and creating eight chances in the 4-2 win over Leicester, another match in which he helped Arsenal avoid disaster, he recorded similar figures here, attempting another seven shots and creating another seven chances.

This time he had a goal and two assists to show for his efforts; Arsenal’s match winner again.

Martin proud of Southampton’s efforts

Southampton boss Russel Martin:

“I’m really proud of the team in many ways. The willingness to defend, fight and run that was not there in the first half on Monday was there in abundance today.

“I feel like they’ve grown since Monday, they’ve learned a lot. They stuck to the game plan, I thought it worked really well.

“I knew we would be under some pressure especially in the first half, and then asked them to be a little braver in the second half, to show willingness to take the ball, and we did that.

“We had some big moments. We hit the crossbar, hit the post, we scored a good goal, but we’re not in front long enough and that’s the only frustration.”

Analysis: Dibling shows star potential

Dibling was a bright spot for Saints in a difficult season and that continued at the Emirates Stadium. The 18-year-old continues to show star potential even in challenging circumstances.

He looked unfazed on the big stage and produced some of Southampton’s best attacking moments.

At one point in the second half he could be seen burning past Arsenal right-back Riccardo Calafiori and crossing to Manuel Fernandes, whose scooped finish narrowly went over.

Not long after, he cut inside to the number 10 position and unleashed a powerful long-range effort that hit the post off a slight deflection. His quality was clearly evident – and not for the first time this season. A bright future awaits.

Story of the match in statistics…

What’s to come in the Premier League?