Arsenal jeered despite spirited fightback to deny Southampton
There was barely a hint of celebration, from the Arsenal players or fans, as Alexandre Lacazette thumped in the 96th-minute goal that turned defeat into a draw. That said it all for Arsenal, who were somehow able to avoid the most damaging of results but still went off feeling like they had lost.
The boos rained down hard and heavy at the final whistle as the home crowd reflected on yet another day of stuttering football from a group of players that should be doing so much better. Three consecutive home draws, against the might of Crystal Palace, Wolves and Southampton, have only reinforced the feeling that something is badly broken with Unai Emery’s side, who are evidently some way short of being serious to-four contenders.
Can Emery fix things? He was publicly supported by his bosses last week but will know as well as anyone that results and performances cannot continue like this. “I need to work, I need to analyse, I need to find a solution,” Emery said. “I know I can do better.”
The strength of the booing told its own story of the discontent swirling around a club that is entering crisis mode, if it is not there already. Arsenal’s leaders felt compelled to make a statement of support for Emery earlier this month, but their patience is being tested too. It will not escape their notice that, down the road, Tottenham Hotspur have replaced their own struggling manager and improved.
It was not just the result that so dismayed the home crowd. It was the performance too, and the uncomfortable truth that Southampton, who began the day in 19th place, could have won by some distance.
“You are thinking we can win this game with three, four or five goals,” said Ralph Hasenhuttl, who was visibly distraught at the end. “After the 70th minute only we played. We tried to score, we tried to create chances.”
They created plenty, surging forward at will as Arsenal lost all of their shape and structure. Opportunity after opportunity came and went for Southampton, who twice surrendered a lead that would have given them their first league victory at Arsenal since 1987. There were plenty of positives for them to take but their disappointment was encapsulated best by Hasenhuttl’s dejection – both hands clutched to his face – following Lacazette’s equaliser. “They did not have so many chances in the last 20 minutes,” he said. “We had much more. In that moment you must win the game.”
It was almost hard to keep track of the amount of times Southampton were given a free run at Arsenal’s goal. Michael Obafemi, Moussa Djenepo, Danny Ings and Sofiane Boufal all had opportunities to settle the issue.
Arsenal, meanwhile, produced 20 stirring minutes after half-time but failed to build upon their dominance. Their problems are across the pitch, with Emery still unable to find a formation and a system that makes the most of his supremely talented players.
“We are frustrated and we understand the supporters,” Emery said. “We drew but it’s not enough.”
Hasenhuttl’s side feasted upon the nervousness in the crowd from as early as the first minute. Stuart Armstrong shot wide for the visitors after just 25 seconds and their lead, fully deserved, arrived after eight minutes. No Arsenal player was alert to the quick free-kick down the left. Ryan Bertrand rolled it into the path of Ings, who simply swept his low finish in off the post.
Lacazette’s first equaliser, smashed home after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s shot had been blocked, helped to briefly change the atmosphere. They pushed hardest in the moments after half-time, with substitute Nicolas Pepe wasting two clear chances and Aubameyang missing another.
And yet that defensive vulnerability is always there with Arsenal.
Cedric should have given Obafemi a simple tap-in before Kieran Tierney pulled down Ings in the box. James Ward-Prowse’s kick was saved by Bernd Leno but he netted the rebound.
Arsenal’s subsequent lack of shape gave Southampton even more opportunities to put it beyond Arsenal’s reach before Gabriel Martinelli found Lacazette at the back post. The finish was emphatic but it did little to ease the darkening mood at a furious Emirates.